Suffrage Songs and Verses

Suffrage Songs and Verses (1911) is a collection of political poems by American author and feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Inspired by her work as a social reformer and advocate for women's suffrage, Gilman turned to poetry as a means of supporting the cause of suffragists everywhere. Although she is widely recognized for her novels, short stories, and nonfiction, Gilman's poetry showcases her command of language and fiery passion for the political and social advancement of women. "She Walketh Veiled and Sleeping" opens the collection with an image of latent power, a woman "[s]low advancing, halting, the hour" of her liberation. In "Locked Inside," Gilman echoes the trope of poetry as a voice imprisoned-explored by such poets as Ovid, Coleridge, and Dickinson-to envision a woman who "beats upon her bolted door, / With faint weak hands," barred from the life of the world she not only desires, but desperately needs. In "Boys Will Be Boys"-a poem with a message for our contemporary awakening to the violence perpetrated by men against women-Gilman argues that women must turn to "love and truth" rather than "warfare" in order to have their way. Other poems in Suffrage Songs and Verses explore the nature of motherhood, the institution of marriage, and the need to elevate individual identity beyond the confines of gender. Gilman's work as a poet proves a substantial contribution to both the suffragist cause and the vibrant tradition of political poetry in twentieth century literature.