What Every Woman Wanted

This poem was inspired by a post on the Lost Glasgow Facebook Group which asked members for memories of that well known Glasgow department store What Every Woman Wants. Being of the age to remember that shop I decided to remember it in this poem which I’ve titled What Every Woman Wanted. I hope you enjoy the read.

What Every Woman Wanted

A shop that symbolised
the Glasgow of my 1970’s teens
what every woman wants
was a treasure trove of dreams
for girls who wanted to be girls
but weren’t permitted to be
because society said we couldn’t
it wouldn’t be allowed
I had a head full of dreams
with Donny and the Rollers
playing leading roles
I tried to control my feelings
but painted my nails
at every chance I got
I was a swot at school
knowing if I played by mum’s rules
she would take me there
for secret shopping
as she called it
skirts and tights bought
to be worn at those weekends
when my older brother went fishing with my dad
to teach him man’s skills
meanwhile I was dressing in frills
and loving being the girl
I knew I was
despite getting boy presents
from Santa Claus
or to be more accurate
my family
I dreamed of dancing lessons
I could never take
on the grounds of having two left feet
my treats would come later
like the Saturday mornings
I would be taken for a bite to eat
with my aunts and other women friends
I think deep down she knew
the truth she had to hide
because society said it couldn’t be allowed
and though she tried to dismiss it as a phase
she knew the day would come
when I would live my life
and get what every woman wanted for myself

© Gayle Smith 2018

Plan B

This poem shows that when it comes to dealing with adversity caused by unforeseen circumstances women know how to make intelligent adaptations which are both creative and practical as it relates the true story of a recent event where even though things didn’t go to plan they still managed to turn out alright on the night with a better result than I could ever have expected. Well as every girl knows it’s always better to have a back up plan just in case original falls through. I’ve given it the title Plan B I hope you enjoy the read

Plan B

I knew it was going to be

one of those nights

when the phone played up

and I had forgot to bring copies of my poems

this was unusual for me

especially at an open mic

luckily it was an LGBT ladies night

and with that being the case

I decided to take a chance

and perform some trans related comedy

as I looked at equality from a different perspective

you could say I was selective in the information I shared

but there are times and places

where safe spaces allow you to say what you must

I made jokes about my backside and bust

and was comfortable doing it

in a way I may not have been

in front of the boys

a woman needs a chance to raise her voice

in humour and in anger

I poked fun at both Donald Trump

and would be local chancers

who said they want to get in to my pants

I reminded them Halloween is just one day

and they would need to go on a diet

I ranted on the impact of hormones running riot

and how hair disapeered from my legs without me needing to wax or shave

I told the world I’m not brave I’m just me

I learned early that women need to be resourceful

on stage or off

and if something goes slightly awry

we can always rely on Plan B

to put it right and save the night as we do it

no matter the crisis we get through it

like our mothers and foremothers before us

we manage to cope without fuss

when your a woman of a certain age

staying alive is more than just a song

it’s the anthem for a generation of us

who knew what I will survive really meant

and being content was not our way

when we had something to say

we said it loudly proudly and with passion

without Plan B prince or princess charming

would be found only in our dreams

when your a girl from the schemes

you learn early the value of resourcefulness

and intelligent adaptations come not as second nature

but as first.

© Gayle Smith 2018

Celebrating Herstory

On International Women’s Day I have written this poem to celebrate women both past and present and to empower the girls and women of the future. I have given it the title Celebrating Herstory , my reason for selecting this title that the word history comes from a very patriarchal place as it places men above women by quite literally telling his story. Well it’s not his story I’m relating it’s hers so I believe the term Herstory is a lot more appropriate. I hope you enjoy the read.

This picture shows me performing on stage at Express Yourself spoken word night which hosted by my friend and fellow poet Carla Woodburn.

Celebrating Herstory

We are shaped by our environments

moulded like clay into designs

others consider acceptable

at all times respectable

through the centuries

we have been told what we can wear

what jobs we can do or can’t

and that’s still happening

though not to the same extent it once did

patriarchy has not died or disappeared

it is just better hidden

than was the case in the past

cosmetic chances make it more difficult to detect

but when some demand respect

because they are the man of the house

it proves that Dickensian Britain

still exists to some who wants to take us back

to what they call the good old days

when we knew our place and submitted

to their wishes and delusions

but now on this new day

we say no to this outdated way of living

the conditioning our mothers and foremothers had to endure

are not our burdens to bare

they are our herstory to share

with daughters nieces and friends

we must explain why

the gender pay gap is still in place

why sex discrimination still happens

but is just better dressed and harder to detect

we here those and such as those

parroting on well rehearsed phrases

about respect agendas

providing we respect them

but we need to say no more

this cannot go on

we’ve had far too many false dawns

dreams built up only too be shattered

by the sounds of bruised hearts and broken promises

it’s time for some honesty

we need to set rules on what we will and won’t accept

upskirting and sexism are not flattery

they emotional assult and battery

we take the power of our womanhood

and let the world know

we will speak of the threats and the silences

they not be scarlet secrets

the badges of shame
worn to blame us for the crimes of others

we have discovered a power our ancestors were denied

their tears, there supressed poems

make every word written by women

a testament to lives unknown to us

but whose stories remain alive

in the lives of families, friends, neighbours

strangers we meet on our journies

to work or nights at the dancing

this is a day to remember them all

the Cinderella’s who never made it to the ball

or those who preferred snowhite to prince charming

or the prince charmings who wanted to be princesses

women of all colours, sizes, shapes, and ages

from those who stayed in the background

to the ones who commanded centre stages and still do

their views like ours were formed by circumstances

so in this game of chance we call life

we should take a moment to reflect on our common bond

and celebrate our sisterhood

© Gayle Smith 2018