Progress

Most people
Do not know
That the Rule of Thumb
Is the law’s measure
Of the width of stick
A man might legally
Employ when beating his wife.

My daughters,
Marry a man with small hands.

There is no legal discussion
Of the causes appropriately
Remedied by such beatings,
Nor the frequency of application,
Nor limits on the duration
Of the marks left.

A beaten wife
During the era of the law
Could take a husband she suspects
Of using an outsized stick
To court.

If the stick is judged too thick
The husband could be fined,
Imprisoned, publicly shamed,
Pilloried, required to ask forgiveness
From his half-disapproving in-laws.

The wife was admonished in all cases
To demur and without will obey.