Love Medicine

Love Medicine
Detail of beadwork from an Ojibwe medicine pouch

Friday, October 2, 2009

This made me think of Oedipus in some strange way.

A REDNECK LOVE POEM:

SUSIE LEE DONE FELL IN LOVE,
SHE PLANNED TO MARRY JOE.
SHE WAS SO HAPPY 'BOUT IT ALL,
SHE TOLD HER PAPPY SO.

PAPPY TOLD HER, SUSIE GAL,
YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER.
I'D JUST AS SOON YO' MA DON'T KNOW,
BUT JOE IS YO' HALF BROTHER.

SO SUSIE PUT ASIDE HER JOE
AND PLANNED TO MARRY WILL.
BUT AFTER TELLING PAPPY THIS,
HE SAID, 'THERE'S TROUBLE STILL.'

YOU CAN'T MARRY WILL, MY GAL,
AND PLEASE DON'T TELL YO' MOTHER.
BUT WILL AND JOE, AND SEVERAL MO'
I KNOW IS YO' HALF BROTHER.

BUT MAMA KNEW AND SAID, MY CHILD,
JUST DO WHAT MAKES YO' HAPPY.
MARRY WILL OR MARRY JOE;
YOU AIN'T NO KIN TO PAPPY.
***************************
(Kinda brings a tear to yer eye, don't it?)

2 comments:

Dupont said...

Yes, this definitely relates to Oedipus, and I don't think it's strange that you did, haha. I'm a little confused at the end.. does that mean she wasn't even related to her dad in the first place, so whoever she marries doesn't matter? I looked up the word kin, which is just another word for relative.But anyway, just curious.

Jessica Deckard said...

It means the girl isn't her dad's child, so it doesn't matter that he cheated, the mom did too. It would be better for the girl to find a husband out of town, so that there isn't any chance that they're related.