The sun is shining brightly
Shall I sit by the pool?
No,I always live my life by
Rigid personal rules.
Last week’s unruly weather
Let rain fell down in spools
I might have had the heating on;
Oh,those rigid personal rules.
Wear a dress from Mayday
Wear coats when winter’s cool
Only wash your hair on weekends
That’s a personal rigid rule
But,Ma ,my hair is oily
The girls all point in school.
Don’t be such a cry baby
Don’t be such a fool.
Ma,I’ve done my homework
I’m top of all my year!
Can I have an hour alone?
She thwacked me on the ear.
I was her little puppet
And she controlled my strings
Till I caught my Guardian angel
And I stole her sturdy wings.
Well,Ma died half my life away
But she is now a ghoul
Watching me so patiently
With her chart of rigid rules.
She didn’t leave me money
She didn’t leave me jewels.
She just left me a message
All my rules are yours.
I cried ,Holy Moses
She is worse than God
She made rules for everything
From love to boiling cod.
Don’t bath when you’ve your period
Don’t let your brothers see
You are now a woman
But you’re still under me
I think I’ll leave those rules behind
And if it makes me fear
God will send a devil round,
I’ll hit him with this spear.
Flexible our bodies
Flexible our minds
We must climb the mountain
And leave those rules behind.
Following personal rules
Can make us feel secure
But our vocation calls to us
And cares not if we’re pure.
Steal and purloin all you need
From books and people too.
Follow your own calling
While you share our human zoo.
And share your learning freely
Give as well as take
Oh,my Lord ,I see some men
Carrying a stake.
They are going to burn my body
But they can’t touch my soul
Wrap me well in flax, my dear.
In heaven ,I’ll be whole