[Susan McLean]

Mrs. Reed Addresses Her Maker

You have some nerve, Miss Brontë, to portray
that prissy sham Jane Eyre forgiving me
after I'd foiled her windfall legacy
by claiming she was dead. That's not the way
rage works. You ought to know: you hold a grudge
better than any. All your books contain
caricatures of those who've caused you pain,
whom you arraign before a hanging judge.
My son John Reed, a spoiled and spiteful man,
is he not based on Branwell, your weak brother?
Are not Eliza and Georgiana other
dark cartoons of Emily and Anne?
Revenge is how the winners play the game.
You may disclaim it, but you do the same.

Revisions:
L5 was "rage works. You ought to know. You hold a grudge"