Interactive Fiction | 06/26/2008 12:00 am

Eunice's Period. Stopped, by Sheila Nevins

An interactive fiction about menses and its merits

Eunice remembered the day she got her
Period.
Yippee. Cause
She was late and nearly
Thirteen.
Some friends would blush about it all
But on her red-banner day,
Eunice brazenly entered Murphy’s Pharmacy.
"A box of Kotex," she said, loudly — proudly,
"And a belt with pins for sanitation napkins."
"Congratulations, Eunice," said Mr. Murphy.
For in the small town in which she
Lived
Eunice’s mother, Agnes McAdams, had clearly shared
This awaited late-arrival with
Mrs. Alice Murphy who had shared it with Mr. Douglas Murphy,
Her balding kindly pharmacist husband of some
Forty years.
Doc Murphy knew what ailed everyone in town
From prescriptions, gossip and his own homespun advice.

Time would pass
Without asking and
Some 40 years later when
The Murphy’s were long gone and the lone pharmacy dissolved into a chain of cold
Chemists, Eunice’s mother,
Agnes McAdams, died quickly — cancer
And Eunice’s period stopped just as abruptly.
It stopped flowing through her.

(Eunice would longingly look at the Tampax box
Knowing that of the 36 she bought on sale
Some 34 would now go to waste.
But for nostalgia’s sake
She held on to them
For her daughters, a visitor, but never for herself
Again.)

And she questioned with this sudden stoppage
Was she useful to the Universe —
Without the hot-blooded reminder of
Fecundity? She wondered
Did this cessation equate with purpose?
Would she ever again feel the urge to be close to a man?
Would her recent divorce and celibacy in menses
Cause the ebb of her physical longing?

Yet oddly
As the months would pass inevitably
She recovered heroically as in the days of "Kotex
Please." And a new life force
Flowed into her.
Sometimes hot, sometimes erotic, sometimes sweaty with anxiety
She would grow to treasure the beat of her new
Being.
For she was equal now in Woman Power
To Man Power
She would no longer anticipate the dreaded
PMS or
Run out of plugs in the middle of …
Nor worry about pregnancy
Or stains or wearing very
White
Or feel estranged from the Peter Principle.
For a new fierce self
Emerged
A Female self in a man’s world.
Adieu to estrogen
Bon Voyage. Good riddance.
No balms or pills to restore what was lost
For she had found a drive
Moving forward
To being older
A graying woman forthright though blonde
A rara avis* to herself.

For
Eunice would spread her plumage
A palette of feathers
Sans red
Burning brightly a kaleidoscope changing
Glorious and Necessary
Lustful and Powerful with possibilities
As ever and more
For as long as she had left to
Be.

* n., pl. ra·ra a·vis·es or ra·rae a·ves (râr’ē ā’vēz). A rare or unique person or thing.[Latin rāra avis : rāra, feminine of rārus, rare + avis, bird.]

79 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I don’t know, Emmy…I know the grass is always greener on the other side, and all that. But men have it pretty easy overall ~ at least compared to women. At least how I see it. I like being a woman, no doubt, but I wish being a woman didn’t bring with it all the bodily distress. Men have to worry about…what? How big their penises are. Whether or not their penises will continue to work ~ and if they start to lag in that area, there are plenty of little pills that will solve that problem. They can continue to procreate for damn near ever, while we have a limited amount of time and viable eggs. If you were a man, you wouldn’t have to worry about having the ability to have children taken away from you. You, on the other hand chose not to procreate after your two fine boys, but in the back of your mind, were you a man, you’d have the satisfaction of knowing that you could have more kids, IF YOU WANTED TO. That choice is taken away from women. Even though I never wanted children, the fact that other women who do want kids have to function in this pre-conceived time period bugs the heck out of me. I SO understand what you are saying about how you had your two kids and didn’t want more, but the fact that you COULDN’T have more is what was really steaming you. I get that! It’s like you’ve been given this amazing gift ~ to have and bear children. Something that a man can only contribute to, but can not achieve. Then, this gift is ripped from your life, while men can still find the younger women and procreate with them should they get the urge. Boy, I hate to sound bitter, but really, we have been given a raw deal as a “species” no matter how you look at it. Even Praying Mantis’s get to bite off the heads of their male counter parts after mating. What do WE get???? ;-P

By CAT Tastic on 06/29/2008 6:13 pm

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I forgot the positives! I never have to shave. Ever! It’s the best! No hair on my legs or underarms! There are negatives, of course, like male pattern balding (I am lucky and started out with more hair than anyone has a right to have, so even with the mpb I have more hair than most other people ever have) but I am not complaining. I am also set to begin my second master’s in September.

By emmy wunn on 06/29/2008 3:06 pm

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Here again, we are Women. We have enough problems! Why do we also have to have Male problems, too!!??? Like male pattern baldness??? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! If we, as we age and our hormones drop, have to deal with male pattern baldness in addition to all our “female” problems, then it’s only fair that men should have to have menses start for them their 40’s and early 50’s ~ complete with cramps and every symptom of PMS known to the Universe. I mean, really! What’s so unfair about that????

By CAT Tastic on 06/29/2008 6:21 pm

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Rara avis, spreading plumage sans red….I love it!!! I avoided a hysterectomy for years….but it turns out that it was the best thing I’ve ever done! We truly can be more of who we really were meant to be now. Thanks, Sheila!

By Veronica S on 06/29/2008 9:17 pm

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..What is the benefit or consequence of a younger age of menopause? Menopause normally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age on onset in this country at 51.8 years. The last period is usually proceeded by atleast three to five years of perimenopausal symptoms, such as irregular periods, insominia, or hot flashes.. It follows that the average age of perimenopause should be around 48.8 years…Right??? I am interested in researching whether the average age of menopause is occurring earlier, later,, or staying the same… If menopause is occurring at younger ages in some parts of the country, and women are led to believe that this is nomal and within the average range, it could have dire health consequences, especially in light of the abandoment of routine estrogen replacement therapy for most women……The average life expectancy for women is around 78 years.. If menopause occurs at approx 52 yrs of age, we can speculate that women live approximately two thirds of their lives before menopause and one third after..Note that 52 is exactly two thirds of 78..So if this is true, then a cultural shift to an earlier age of menopause could have a profound impact on overall female longevity. Example…. If the two third rule holds true, and menopuase occurrs at 46yrs, then we can expect the average age of death to be around 69yrs…a full decade less then the current expected female longevity. In light of the recently published mortality stats for women highlighting the historical decrease in female longevity in this country, we need to look at whether the age of menopause onset is in any way responsible, and further, we need to question possible causes of an earlier menopause? Lastly we should research which treatment, including estrogen therapy, might help to reverse the trend or lessen the consequence

By fiona two on 06/30/2008 11:33 pm

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Fiona, Extremely interesting point you’ve brought up. I’ve read articles that claim females who are vegetarian and come from vegetarian families start their periods far later in life ~ at around 20 years of age. Apparently, all the hormones in U.S. meat, and the steep use of preservatives causes menses to start at younger and younger ages. I have no idea how accurate these articles are, but assuming they are at least somewhat accurate, it would be interesting to find out if women who didn’t have menses until much later in life also have menopause occur later. I do know for a fact that chickens don’t start laying eggs until the age of two years. In order to make them produce eggs earlier, and therefore make them more profitable, they are fed large doses of hormones and arsenic (believe it or not). Chickens fed the hormones and arsenic produce eggs at very young ages and are dead by the age of two. People who eat those eggs are “poisoned” by the hormones and small doses of arsenic will show up in blood work. Based on that, it’s entirely plausible to conclude what we eat is a direct link to contributing to earlier menses, earlier menopause, and shortened life span. I wonder if there is any more research out there on the subject?

By CAT Tastic on 07/02/2008 9:35 pm

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Those who know me say I should have had a “litter”, that I’m a born “Mom”. I could have easily had a hysterectomy in my 20s, I had no desire to have children. Some time in my 30s, I discovered that instinct. Unfortunately, due to a clotting disorder (discovered after the birth of my one and only) I was never able to carry another to term. It’s been six months. I feel like I’m in mourning. I’m mourning the loss of my “femaleness”. I’m mourning the loss of my fertility. I’m mourning the loss of the babies that were never meant to be. I’m old now…like my mother. My baby is one year away from bolting the nest. I fear it’s going to be a rough year.

By c h on 07/01/2008 6:41 am

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c h, I’m so sorry to hear this. We all have different reactions to hysterectomies, but it’s very sad for all of us when we hear of the reaction you’re feeling. Compound that with your baby moving out, and ~ OUCH! I guess there is not much in the way of words anyone can say to help you feel better about the situation, but you’re obviously not alone, and maybe there is some small comfort in that…somehow…

By CAT Tastic on 07/02/2008 9:43 pm

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Isn’t menses the name of the group with extremely high IQ’s…..Oh, never mind. Peace and grace

By beth willis on 07/01/2008 3:32 pm

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Beth! That COMPLETELY cracked me up! :-DD

By CAT Tastic on 07/02/2008 9:46 pm

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I never cease to be amazed at Ms. Nevins’ ability to romanticize and, further still, beautify something as icky as menses. Relatable as ever, her words transform our individual and very intimate memories into common ground with ease and artistry. Her characters, so classic in their own quirkinesss, speak directly to me, personally, as if intended for me and me alone. Has Sheila mastered “the every woman” or is she simply reading our minds?

By z z* on 07/03/2008 3:13 pm

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Not to be misunderstood, I would like to expand upon “icky”- my attempt to add humor to an aspect of female life that is all but funny. Generally a very private topic for me, when trying to articulate all that it is, words like “icky” get in my way. Yes, “icky,” but more specifically repelling, repulsive, inconvenient, draining, maddening, and yet I look forward to it every month. Actually celebrate its arrival. And the monthly misery and ravings are all worth the power that accompanies the pain. The potential to literally create life is utterly beyond “icky.” Truthfully it is beyond words- call it what you will.

By z z* on 07/03/2008 9:49 pm

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Hm…somehow I was born without that gene ~ the urge to create life. I just don’t have it in my DNA. My maternal instincts are strictly for animals. I love all animals and have my own little zoo. I carry pictures of all my critters, and they even have their own website. I get all gooey around animals, like other people get around human babies. Whereas, when I see a human baby, I run, hard and fast, in the opposite direction. I wonder why that is??? Does anyone else feel like this?

By CAT Tastic on 07/04/2008 4:26 am

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I actually think there is an interesting subtext to this piece revealed by details like the sanitary belt, the local pharmacist, and even the names of the women in the story. Ms. Nevins is describing another era: since the time of sanitary belts we now have adhesives, applicators, and “wings,” not to mention the Pill or in-vitro fertilization. To some extent, women can control their fertility, but there is still a point where biology takes over, and that is something to which women of all ages and eras can relate. Mixed feelings regarding the end of one’s childbearing years seem like a very natural response, but I think Ms. Nevins is right to emphasize that this is by no means the end of life or womanhood. Women often give up much of themselves during their childbearing years to raise families, and once the nest is empty, to continue with the bird metaphors, the mother bird has the opportunity to fly high on her own merits and interests. This is a time in our history where women are achieving more than ever in their careers and can define themselves as far more than just someone’s mother, though that, too, is also a very noble achievement.

By mg b on 07/07/2008 12:26 pm

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Speaking of “the power,” I am one who has long imagined the day that I would be pregnant. Dreamed of the day that I’d give birth and fantasized of the day that my child would call me “Mommy.” As I sit here at my desk, 32 weeks pregnant, I am TERRIFIED to become a mother. I am not uncertain that I will be a good mother, but I am uncertain about how, in 7 weeks, my life will change FOREVER. Are there times I want to run? Sure there are, but then I feel this little baby inside me kicking and I can’t wait to meet her and see if she looks like me or more like my husband. From age 10, I immediately understood the burden, that as a woman I would carry every month. Understood it and loathed it. Nearly 20 years later, as I am with child for the first time, it is my “womanly burden” that has allowed me a newfound womanly bliss. Of course there are those of us who would describe it differently, but for me it is an evolving experience that will change and mature through my lifetime as I do the same.

By Mommy Dearest on 07/07/2008 4:40 pm