During the July 13, 2026 session of Discovering Creativity via The Artist’s Way, participants explored the relationship between anger and creativity—the focus of Chapter 3 of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
The conversation reminded Rev. Helen Avery of a poem that had come to her while she was working. She shared “Good Girl” with the group, beginning at approximately 18:10 in the program recording.
By request from members of the community, and with Helen’s permission, the poem is being shared here. HERE’s a link to the recording.
With gratitude to Helen for giving us permission to share her work, we are honored to publish it here.
Content warning: This poem contains strong language.
Good Girl
Right now, I would very much like to scrawl my name in felt-tip pen all over the walls,
and cover my hands with thick red paint and wipe them down my nice dress and all over my face,
maybe over your nice cream carpet.
And if you could just excuse me for a moment while I step outside and thrash around in that big puddle of mud in the car lot,
until my hair turns brown and caked, and not one part of me can be identified,
and shout at all the birds,
and hit the trees with a large stick,
and roar like a lion,
and cackle,
and scream
and scream and scream and scream
that you can all fuck off, just fuck off..
fuck….right… off,
until my tear-stained, mud-caked, red-paint face aches
and my body shakes.
It won’t take long.
Less than an hour.
I’ll pay for the carpet
and the walls on the way out.
And don’t worry about the trees and the birds;
they’re fine with it.
They feel the same way sometimes.
But instead, I sit here,
tightly, quietly, smiling.
Always a good girl.
By Rev. Helen Avery