To Present Yourself As A Damsel In Distress Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

To present yourself as a damsel in distress
Looks fetching in fairy tales
Saved from dragons and all the rest
There you are clad in a pink gown
With princess seams and you seem to be one
A princess, I mean,
your paper thin arms outstretched
Over the pop up paper castle balcony
Prepared to leap from danger
To live as a damsel in distress is to live with the real
Possibility of being manipulated by frog princes or hand puppets
Of being trapped by flinging yourself too hastily over the moat.
Yet if you present yourself as capable of handling your own distress
Even if the Lord God is beside you which He certainly is
GIVING you the strength
You may be regarded as too bold, no swan
But an odd duck quacking.
Alack. What is it you are lacking.
What is to be done in a world where truly
You do not wish to be bought or sold
To be part of any financial transaction
And yet, not to grow old alone.
To freely give your heart. Or perhaps to live apart if necessary
If that is the only way to be true to the One who is calling you
Most earnestly.
Abide. Endure.
Forget what other people think.
Cling to the real possibility you have a Soul.
And you are on on the brink on earth to grow strong
To heal and to bless in this life for the Next
To prevail. To live for beauty is no disgrace
To live for Art.
In every way He allows. To keep your vows.
mary angela douglas 26 may 2024