Shrine To Beauty Poem by Margaret Alice Second

I've built a shrine to beauty - in a basket with
pink flowers and large transparent purple fairy
wings, a crystal mask shining in rainbow hues
and a posy of pristine white wedding roses

A few forget-me-nots in a bottle with a string of
purple beads and shimmering magic wand, my
beloved dragon-fly & my one-inch wooden doll
dressed in blue above miniature paper roses

My Charlotte Brontë doll with a serious-sweet
expression around her rose-bud mouth, a small
yellow sea-horse, a paperweight of transparent
glass like a glacier on the side, a pink hat with

Blue flowers - one office chair draped with white
scarves scintillating in bright silver glitter, a neon
cloth on my air-con explodes with life force in my
eyes, but the best is - my Charlotte Brontë doll

Is sitting on a page of brightly coloured musical
instrument stickers; this beautiful shrine of mine
fills my heart with rousing colour whenever I take
a break from boring documents to feast my eyes

On its Indian market splendour…

[15 September 2014]