Misericord (or Lasciviousness), by Lauren K. Nixon

Misericord in Holy Trinity Shakespeare's Church (England) c. 1400s

Misericord (or Lasciviousness)
​
a conversation with a particular misericord at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
 
The guide tells me, “She
is a picture of transgression,”
the bawdy, pictorial satire of the time
telling all who cared to look,
how far you ‘fell’,
how low you are:
a woman, not a man.
 
He notes the loose hair.
The nudity. The garland. 
The scroll. The stag you ride.
Each coded rejection of social norms;
of God’s truth; of Mary’s docile
obedience. 
 
I think you look angry and free,
a pattern of a woman who was other.
A thing they refused to comprehend.
Friend, you were the object of their fear:
a wild creature that could not be
tamed, or owned.
 
(And I know
a man carved you,
for a man to sit upon, 
while a man told other men
how they ought to think
about the travesty of 
your unmanliness.)
 
You’re bloody livid, after all these years,
lurking under the choirboys,
like a suffragette beneath a stage.
Howling your disharmony, your discontent -
and I get it, girl.
 
They are still telling people what you mean.

Lauren K. Nixon

An ex-archaeologist enjoying life in the slow-lane, Lauren K. Nixon is the author of numerous short stories, The Fox and the Fool, Mayflies, The Last Human Getaway and The House of Vines, along with various poetry collections, including Wild Daughter, Marry Your Chameleon and umbel.. She has also written two plays - one on purpose! When she's not writing, she can be found pootling around the garden or library, researching weird stuff, making miniatures, annoying the cats, and playing board games. You can find out more at her website: (www.laurenknixon.com) Or check her out on Instagram (@laurenknixon) Facebook (@IndieAuthorLaurenKNixon)