Business Woman (1980)



Business woman don't you know
They just can't let your power grow.
And they've learned their lesson,
So they're going to keep you guessing,
And make you think you've got their blessing,.
But all the time they were just messing
Around with you, in the office, and after hours too.
Yes, they really like the hold they've got on you.
Look, business woman and I'm sure you'll see
Some things you do are aimed to please.
And how does that hot tub party feel to you now?
Did you think that joining in the fun
Would put silver bullets in your gun?
Well, I guess you've realized now who won.
Because the towels weren't yet dry on the rack
When it slipped into your mind through a crack
That you had just accepted their pat.
And that's why you're just where you're at - hon.

Business woman,
Now they've got you running,
Hoping for some room at the top.
Well, you know it's just as likely as not
The only room that you might get
Will have nothing in common with those corporate.
You've got the bosses credit card in your purse.
It's only for dinner, you don't think that's a first.
But a deal has ben made, and what's worse,
You've just minimized your own worth.
Now you can't be so demanding,
You've got a plastic understanding.
But surely between the buy and the sell
A thought tells you that somehow you fell.
And it's seeping into your mind that you know
They're taking care of business so your power can't grow.
And when this job has pushed you to the end,
Do you think that you still can then,
Smooth your skirt, push away all the hurt,
And tell the men in the office who flirt,
"I've had enough of the office smiles
That only bracket simple guile.
Oh, I know that I handled it cool.
I thought that I had to treat office intimidation
As though it were a needed tool.
But now I know all I was doing
Was accepting a verbal screwing."

Or will you choose to stay
What they in their minds they want you to stay?
A person subjected to a different standard.
Somebody who they can measure by the innuendo -
For services rendered.
Yes, business woman they're making it very plain
That you scare them all to hell
Because your sexuality is troubling,
While your aggressiveness is doubling.
And the one hold they have on you
Is the one that instinct serves so well.
So, whenever you force the glass to crack,
They use the rumor to push you back.

They have the power to misconstrue.
Do you have the strength to make the dream come true?

About this poem

This poem, like Davie Treats, was inspired by an article in the Vancouver Sun. It also appeared in the Nov. 12,. 1980 issue. This article titled, "Why women stall in mid-climb" was based on The Bassett Report: Career Success and Canadian Women by Isabel Bassett, a top television journalist. I wrote it in an afternoon, so whether any of the things I wrote are relevant today is open to debate. Yes, I still have the article.

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Written on November 13, 1980

Submitted by mcks on February 26, 2023

Modified on March 05, 2023

2:38 min read
1

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCCDDXXXBBBEEXX BCXXXXFXFXCCGGAAXXHHXXIBICC JJKAKXGCCDGEE DD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 2,423
Words 501
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 18, 27, 13, 2

Ron McKinnon

A Nanaimo BC resident, I began writing poetry while working in Squamish. BC, and have continued writing ever since. more…

All Ron McKinnon poems | Ron McKinnon Books

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