Dorothea wakes — her humble day
Belies the aspirations of the night,
And all her childhood dreams are eaten away
In daily duty’s harsh, pragmatic light.
Dreams of glory — mankind’s betterment —
Fall prey to cooking, cleaning, children’s sports,
And bosses’ urgings: checks that must be sent,
And printouts filed as bottom-line reports.
Yet every day this all too human wife
Confronts her world with courage pure and plain,
And taking on a Wonder Woman’s life
Fulfills her charge, however great the pain.
For every goal deferred, each dream undone,
An act of love is spurred and battle won.
Cheiten is a Princeton-based writer of short stories, poems, and plays. His play“Queen Jane” was staged last summer at Murray Theater on the Princeton University campus. He is the co-author of a short story that appears in this issue.
