Teenage Timbrels
Jephthah’s daughter never had a name to call her own,
Nor a life beyond her moral,
Nor a point beyond her sacrifice –
And so she nags us to atone
Just by being, just by dying,
Just by owning nothing but a price.
She’s just a noble loser, bewailing her virginity,
A shibboleth to adolescents searching for divinity
In mopey acquiescence of lonlieness and blame.
A role model for the friendless nights,
But one of fleeting fame –
Discarded by her acolytes
Once they discover girls who bear a name.
