Coming of Age

Coming of Age

One must not judge, even
on the evidence. All cultures
cultivate the best interests of those
they serve and thus are beyond
criticism since, after all, who are
the privileged to complacently
cluck disapproval of customs
arising through the heritage of
others deciding how best their
national social covenants will
suit them? Take the position of
young girls coming of age in an
advanced economy where a mother
can smother her daughter's
objections to place her behind
the wheel of the family vehicle 
and order compliance with rules
of the road, highway safety and
good driving skills. As opposed,
perhaps, to forcibly holding still
a fearfully recalcitrant daughter
by mother and grandmother, while
a skilled village elder traditionally
butchers the child's labia, preparing
her for respect in her community,
as a newly marriageable commodity
who will bear the future with pride
and pain, in equally assured measure.