To Love In Jane Austen's Time

It wasn't always about love.
A marriage at her father's demand.
The woman as meek as a dove.
She hides her tears behind her fan.

A woman had her season.
It was all about finding a man for their daughter.
This wasn't the young woman's reason.
She just wanted a handsome, nice man to love her.

All the dances, all the men she would meet at the ball.
She would smile, take his hand and dance.
She would have to marry him in the fall.
She wish she could run off to France.

Sometimes she would find true love.
Most women had no choice.
She asked for help from Heaven above.
Even if she was miserable, she would have to rejoice.

Society women were well bought up.
They obeyed their husbands and did as they were told.
They drank tea like ladies and properly held their tea cups.
Seldom was a lady tolerated when she was bold.

An era of dances and so fancy a ball.
A society woman held her head up high
as she walked graciously down the hall.
Even if she were sad, she didn't dare cry.

To live in Jane Austen's time,
As a woman you had to be a lady,
Most of the time, just behave like a mime.
Act respectable and never be free.

Some ladies didn't obey their father's demands,
They found the love of their life,
and moved to another land.
They were happy to be his wife.

Life and love were different in Jane Austen's time.
I love reading her stories and her way of life.
Falling in love wasn't a crime.
What woman didn't want to be a handsome man's wife?