THE PLIGHT OF A MIDDLE EATERN WOMAN At home I am but a shadow Whose efforts at visibility are doomed to fail; To the noise I constantly make They persistently turn a deaf ear. Alas! I'm not the virile scorer Who can immortalize Dad's name; I have neither married into money nor played The selfless sister, Hence I lost dear Mum's hard-won esteem. Death has long embraced Victoria's reign, But its heritage still lingers here: Women with voices can never claim The love of dads, brothers or husbands-to-be. By Dr. Susie Zuheir Gharib from her collection of English poetry titled: My love in Red.