CHICAGO BEACH 1922.

A GRANDMOTHER RELATES HOW SHE'D BEEN ARRESTED ON A CHICAGO BEACH IN 1922.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your grandmother said
She’d been arrested
On a Chicago

 

Beach that summer in
1922
By an official

 

Beach censor because
She’d worn improper
Beach attire, she

 

And her friend and some
Other girls, all hauled
Off quite roughly; and

 

Her father fumed and
Blew hot air like a
Kettle on the hob

 

And her posh mother
Never spoke to her
For weeks except to

 

Say: you’ve brought disgrace
On the family,
Having your photo

 

In the newspaper,
And what will all the
Neighbours think and say?

 

Grandmother smiled as
She remembered. You
Couldn’t imagine

 

Your grandmother in 
Beach attire, she
Sitting there in the

 

Armchair, her dark hair
Turned grey; you couldn’t
For the life of you

 

Ever imagine
This refined woman
Being arrested

 

And led off the beach
And people staring,
Whispering, pointing

 

Fingers, tutt-tutting
As the men led her
Away. You’d always

 

Thought of her as old
And too frail to walk
The beach; too refined

 

To walk about in
Bathing costumes of
Any kind. Odd you

 

Thought of her that way:
Old and tame and frail.
But she showed you the

 

Newspaper clipping,
Yellowing, but still
There, the picture of

 

Her and those others
Being led away;
History captured,

 

A being point made,
Beach attire worn
And all before your

 

Own proud mother had
Been thought of or born.

Reviews

[just rose.]

The penultimate lines are fabulous. This reminds me of my grandmother telling me how heavy the wool bathing costumes were in the 20's-- and how she wasn't even allowed to wear one. Improper. I've always been fascinated by exploring youth and age, that is to say you can't imagine an old and frail person being young and sassy -- but once you hear the stories you know ... oh, how they were.

[Journey]

I like the way you made each stanza spill over into the other. Quite like the waves on that beach. If we would just sit down and talk to our grandparents, or someone from an older generation we would be surprised to see that they had struggled of their own. Some of their battles seemed senseless and crazy, but so will ours to the next generation. I like the way you highlighted this forgotten event.