She
by Afsaneh Gray
FATHER
MOTHER
DAUGHTER
The scene. A bedroom, a council flat in London. FATHER and MOTHER are boxing up DAUGHTER’s belongings, dividing them into two boxes. There is a television in the room.
FATHER MOTHER
Look at this photograph
We were at Centre Parks
Look at her between us
She was so small, so young
It’s like yesterday
She learned to walk
She looked so happy then
So innocent
She looks so unsure
Not a care in the world
Now where she walks
The crowd parts for her
Like the sea for the prow
Of a ship
We made sure of that
I’ll put it in the box
Of memories to cherish
Our little girl
Now she looks so small
So lost, unsure
All grown up
The crowd has swallowed her
Like the flame consumes
The wick
Our little girl Our little girl
All grown up All grown up
Out in the world Out in the world
Do you remember? Do you remember?
How she… How she…
How could we forget? How could we forget?
Look at this list of dreams
She wanted to be an undertaker
Or an air hostess
Up in the sky or down in the dust
She liked extremes
What about this dress?
Our little girl
Look at it
So old and worn
How she loved it!
White with yellow spots
The charity box The memory box
She has all the dresses
She could possibly need
The charity box
The memory box
She wore it day and night
The memory box
The charity box
The memory box!
She wanted to be an undertaker
Or an air hostess
An air hostess
Could never get
As high as she’s reached
It was her dream
She would have seen so much
Now she’s dissolved into pixels
Seen by so many but so much less
You’re jealous
Me?
You always wanted
To be noticed
Strutting about
In your skirts
And tight dresses
Me?
Now she’s famous
You can’t bear it
Famous for what?
For living with a man
Who kicks a ball
For getting her tits out
How can you bear it?
What time is it?
To see her belong to everyone
She’ll be on TV
Vultures around meat
DAUGHTER
It’s the time of the week
You’ve been waiting for
See me
And the man of my dreams
Come into our home
See how we live
We’re inviting you in
See me and him
We couldn’t be happier
On Living TV
Don’t you see how lucky she is?
She got away from all this
She got away from us
From the stench of piss
She changed her nose
The stench of hopelessness
She had your nose
Now it’s a stranger’s nose
Pass me that box
I’ll close it up
She didn’t want any of this?
She told you that?
She doesn’t want any of it
They say he cheats
She can buy what she wants
She doesn’t need trinkets
And old memories
She has her life ahead of her
She’s living the dream
On Living TV
Our daughter Our daughter
Bright
Dimmed
Beautiful
Too thin
Dazzling
Tinned
They all wish they could be her They all wish they could be her
She’ll never look back
One day she’ll come back
I hope she never comes back
She’s herself now She’s someone else now
She… She…