Erase The Picture- Pretty Girl Magick
Of which we do not speak
Birth vessel's temporary insanity
Swift scissor snipping
Clips golden locks, curly ques
Hair, then, hair no more
Floored, the little one
All of three
Learns a harsh lesson in vanity
Reflections, these are Suzy Q's
But that's not her real name
She and I, one and the same
One girl forgotten
One carrying shame
*
She was the beholder
The owner of mirrored magick
Self-reflection, self-adoration
"Pretty girl, such a pretty girl"
Kisses blown back to her
From Suzy Q, the reflection
Her playmate
Encouraging wide-eyed wonder
Self appreciation
Magick in mindspace
Love for self first, to love others more
TRAP DOOR
Matriarch panicked
Perhaps a manic moment
Depreciated, threatened by a little one
Culturally conclusive
Maybe thought patterns, elusive
Either way
Pretty girl magick became no more
*
Suzy Q melted in the mirror
Leaving behind her friend
A girl, now carrying shame-
ME!!!
The former anonymous
Shooed, hushed, unspoken child
Alone to face the consequences
Maternal expectations
Idealized the "perfect little lady"
Meek, modest, mindful
Humble, withholding self-praise
Neither seen nor heard
Preferring a common daisy
Never to be a rose
Tripwire thought:
Erase the hair, erase the picture
Clip, clip, clip
Snip, snip, snip
Cut out conceited inclinations
Cast out the demon
Mold the child: neat, kept, and quiet
Pretty girl magick, now mirror cracks
Beveled in glass
Lost yet longed for by a lonely lass
*
Questions equaled back talk
Weary of repercussions
Of which we do not speak
A little girl instructed
Became self-destructive
Changing her narrative
"Ugly girl, ugly girl, I hate what I see"
Walking an emotional tightrope
Never with a safety net
No open arms to catch her falls
She smashed the picture
The image of pretty things
Glass slivers cut her spirit
Deeping the wound
Following her from
Childhood to adolescence
Adolescence to womanhood
Womanhood to motherhood
Molded mayhem
Never an Amen
*
Daughters, her daughters
The light of her daughters
Inspired
Restoration in self-perception-
A silent, long-held dream
A magickal remolding
Opposing the melancholy unfolding
Beauty lost in shards
Reshaped, refastened, reconnected
Piece by piece
A lost image will one day revive
Suzy Q and I
Will mend our bond
For she is me and I am her
Longing for pretty girl magick
Contrary, it has been tragic-
Traumatic
Of which we do not speak
Wreaks havoc, honoring hallowed space
This is the image, I know now
The one I must erase
***
Author's note:
This poem is based on a real personal childhood experience, one that still haunts me.
"The beautiful ones always smash the picture"- Prince
About the Creator
Marilyn Glover
Poet, writer, & editor, writing to uplift humanity. A Spiritual person who practices Reiki and finds inspiration in nature.
Mother of four, grandmother of two, British American dual citizen living in the States
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Comments (8)
This is so powerful, Marilyn! I'm so sorry for what you experienced as a child. I just read a piece by another author that got me thinking about how fragile self-perceptions are especially in the realm of appearances when we're so young. Love that your daughters helped you in healing!
I wish I had the right words to help and make the childhood experience a less haunting one. Just know you are wonderful, Marilyn, and you deserve all the best things in life 💛💛 The poem really did brighten when you brought your daughters into it. I have no doubt they love you with all their heart, and I hope the kindness in your soul is returned a thousandfold by the world!
I'm so sorry for what happened to you 🥺Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️
Traumas from early childhood do have a way of sticking around & forming us in unfortunate ways. Prayers to you.
This is raw, haunting, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing such a vulnerable piece—it truly moved me.✨
Shattered beauty remembers, rebuilds, reclaims magick.
I can sense how this has stayed with you through the years. I hope that Suzy Q and you are reunited and are as one again. I also hope it helped to write about it.
Darkly mystical, I enjoyed this