I am a good girl
I am a sweet daughter
I am a fair friend
I am a fiancée
I keep my voice slight
I keep my red hair soft
I keep my face still
I keep my feelings small
I will swallow fate
I will believe decrees
I will suffer fear
I will obey dictates
I am the handmaid
I am His handmaid
I am their handmaid
I am the good girl of Nazareth
Process notes go here.
LA is a financial analyst at the University of Iowa. Before that, she was a seminary professor. Prior to that, she was a pastor. She credits the Free Generative Writing Workshops, the Midwest Writing Center, and workshops offered through Iowa City Poetry with her development as a poet. Her poetry recently appeared in The Post Grad Journal, Big Windows Review, and the Braided Way Magazine. To give back to the writing community, she organizes a writers open mic at the public library (or via Zoom during pandemics) and serves on the advisory council of Iowa City Poetry. She is the author of the chapbook The Length of a Clenched Fist (Finishing Line Press) and blogs at http://lafelleman.blogspot.com