Secretary
If I should touch her she would shriek and weeping Crawl off to nurse the terrible wound: all Day like a starling under the bellies of bulls She hurries among men, ducking, peeping, Off in a whirl at the first move of a horn. At dusk she scuttles down the gauntlet of lust Like a clockwork mouse. Safe home at last She mends socks with holes, shirts that are torn, For father and brother, and a delicate supper cooks: Goes to bed early, shuts out with the light Her thirty years, and lies with buttocks tight, Hiding her lovely eyes until day break.
Secretary - meaning Summary
Workplace Fear and Confinement
The poem presents a secretary moving through a workplace she experiences as threatening and sexually charged. Men are figured as dangerous animals, while she responds with speed, caution, and withdrawal. Her evenings bring more unpaid domestic care for male relatives, and sleep becomes a way of shutting out her constrained life. The speaker's harsh imagery exposes the pressure, fear, and isolation surrounding her daily routine.
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