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Marge Piercy
Barbie Doll - Poem by Marge Piercy
This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
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Read poems about / on: candy, pink, magic, woman, nature, happy, smile, women
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(Part-2) We don't know while criticizing a person for his appearance, we are bringing irreparable damage to his psyche at a deeper level , which is not visible to outside.It is particularly true in case of children and teenagers.as they are more sensitive. (Report) Reply
A heart touching write - - - -It is how a perfectly healthy and beautiful girl was judged for her nose and by a careless comment of a classmate she was depressed and lost her spirit and tried every thing to improve her body features.But in the process she lost her life.This is a sad story. (part-1) (Report) Reply
this is planned to be in the December 2018 showcase in my PH site. any questions, please ask.
Thanks.
(: (Report) Reply
COMMENT #2:
i admit i prefer certain physical characteristics, but wouldn't it be 'better' if physical appearance weren't so important to some? There is so much more to a person.
To MyPoemList. And perhaps to a showcase one month on my PH site.
Bri
(: (Report) Reply
COMMENT # 1:
my vocal reaction at the end of the poem: Oh, my God.
what a ride you have taken us on! ! !
i mentally cringe when i hear someone 'praising' another for their perceived good looks/beauty/cuteness/handsomeness. we, at birth, get a body which for better or worse [[ so to speak ]]. develops physically.
(CONT.) (Report) Reply
Did she undergoe nose surgery? (Report) Reply
Big nose lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (Report) Reply
everyone is beautiful. it doesn't matter if she is fat or thin, black or white, small or tall. (Report) Reply
Legs and nose: I don't feel so good... (Report) Reply
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It's just a toy. Calm down. (Report) Reply
The toy is being compared like a woman...it can be described about a woman about her basic life till her death even.
I killed myself too after people made fun of my nose (Report) Reply
One does not simply cut one's legs off voluntarily. (Report) Reply
As a parent, it's important to foster healthy communication skills with your daughter, so she lets you know how she feels about her legs and you can cut them off for her (Report) Reply
I STRIVE TO BE LIKE THE WOMEN IN THIS POEM (Report) Reply
yeah Ms.Budson, tell em (Report) Reply
this nigga deserved it (Report) Reply
yo fuck this nigga. this stupid cuck best cut off those fat ass pieces of meat she calls legs. hell yeah she cut off that fugly nose too. she did the earth a damn favor. (Report) Reply
I told ya Tommy
She. Must. Be. Stopped. *Slamming Desk with Fists*
I SUPPORT YOU
Yeah, I know. But it's also a major injustice teens everywhere are facing today. Sadly, yes, some of us succumb to the cruelty, thinking of the freedom in death, when in reality, there is no freedom, it's just a crueler place to be free. Not true freedom, a lavish, lonely cell. My hope is that when people read this, they feel sad about the few that succumb, but also strong, and feel the desire to help, and not succumb, and pull others out of the quicksand that is self-harm. Stay strong, my friends. I can only wish with a heavy heart, that if someone replies to this, it will be out of gratitude, not as a farewell message, an invitation to the beyond.
I wish you all the best
-Harper, Age 13 (Report) Reply
I shall follow Jerry.
bitch ima kill myself
OKAY, HOW MANY TIMES IN THIS ENGLISH CLASS DO I HAVE TO READ ABOUT CHILDREN COMMITTING SUICIDE? CHILDREN WHO SOUND LIKE ME? I HAD THOSE SAME THINGS TOLD ME ME, SAID ABOUT ME, AND YES I'M SAD, BUT I'M ALSO GROWING OVER IT. WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO END IN EVERYONE KILLING THEMSELVES? AM I NO SAD ENOUGH WITHOUT READING THIS ALL THE TIME? ! CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A POEM WHERE THERE'S SOME SMALL REVOLT, WHERE THE PROTAGONIST OVERCOMES IT, WHERE SHE FINDS SOME STRENGTH WITHIN HERSELF? Just once, I want to read something that doesn't end in a cruel and unjust death. Yes, I know the point the poem is trying to make. However, it inspires no change in women. It only tells us that we cannot overcomes society's barriers to freedom. (Report) Reply
this is reality hunty.....it's poetry...
Read Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. I hope it helps.