A Celebration of Catullus 5
because the girls are barred from public space
we should do our loving in the streets because
we can because the girls are banished for
talking out of turn we should shout our love
out loud and openly embrace because we can
because each girl must hide behind a mask we
should go boldfaced and let our loving speak
because it can because the girls are prisoners
of men we should disregard all disapproving
looks enjoy the liberty to kiss and kiss and
kiss again because we can because the girls
are not allowed to sing we should bang our
love on hand-held drums and chant it round
the town because we can we can we can we
can
Catherine Glavina is a retired university tutor living in the UK. Catherine’s poetry appears or is forthcoming in Apricot Press, Littoral Press and Wort Journal. It is also being recorded for Coventry Talking Newspaper.