"Women in Shakespeare," a list poem by Meg Freer

 

Women in Shakespeare …

Show every human emotion, sometimes in inhumane ways.

Act strong and bossy, proud, empathetic, impatient and impulsive.

Dislike it when others make them an object of fun or take advantage of them.

Do not hesitate to insult or criticize their male counterparts.

Frequently condemn men as inconstant deceivers incapable of change.

Believe that disrespectful or downright bad behaviour looks good on no person.

Easily become leads in operas and musicals, where females often dominate the stage.

Resist being seen by others as weak, but realize we’re all only human.

Forgive the temptation to blame themselves when things don’t work out.

Try to live with everyone’s imperfections and make the best of it.

***

Meg Freer grew up in Montana and now lives in Ontario. She is a musician and editor, a member of The Ontario Poetry Society and League of Canadian Poets, Poetry Co-editor for The Sunlight Press and Contributing Editor for Traces Journal. She co-hosts a monthly series featuring poetry performed simultaneously with live improvised music.

Her prose, photos, and poems have been published in many journals​ and in ​four chapbooks. During 2024-25, she served as Poet-in-Residence for the McDonald Astroparticle Physics Institute at Queen’s University.

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