David Huddle: She and My Granddad

My grandfather–who died in 1970–

the year Sexual Politics was published–

.

called objects–screwdrivers, blow torches, trucks

–and sometimes even abstractions–winter, 

.

pain, time–by the singular feminine 

pronoun–she or her. For instance he would say,

.

I reckon she’s coming up on quitting time,

or (of a favorite hammer), I guess 

.

she ain’t nowhere to be found.  Kate Millett,

asked about the future of the woman’s movement, 

.

said, How in the hell do I know? I don’t run it, 

to which Granddad–at war with Grandmama all 

.

my life but drawn to women, always polite–

would have said, Yes ma’am, can’t nobody run her.

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Copyright 2019 David Huddle

David Huddle’s ninth poetry collection, My Surly Heart, will appear from LSU Press later this year.