One more fifty year-old female face
in the obituaries
prompted a decision -
prepare to die or
begin to live
a life unfettered
from the straightjackets of youth
she emptied the anger
from her ego-tattered brain
purged everything
from the vainglorious
to the inglorious
released those ten pounds
that unfashionable wardrobe
the stringy hair, the bitten nails
rubbed off concealing makeup
threw off shoes that run (away)
when she unplugged the ipod
she heard music
when she took off
her rose-colored sunglasses
she saw a face and a whole body
when she broke the mirror
she found beauty
COEXIST: Poetry, Books, and Essays by Diane Vogel Ferri
7 comments:
That brought a tear to my eye. Beautiful. Thanks.
Nice.
Women who decide to embrace the maturity and intellectual attainment of middle age are far more attractive than the sad specimens clinging like desperate survivors to the sinking raft of youth.
I can relate to this so much. I was especially moved by the last two lines.
Striving for the youthful look is a unisex thing. I resisted coloring my hair when I started getting gray in my late twenties. Now at 53, I have a full head of thick hair, undamaged by dyes.
By accepting what is coming from nature I don't have to work hard at fooling everyone including myself.
Sometimes I think you write poems just for me or because you've watched me and drawn a conclusion. Then I snap to it and realize I've played no role whatsoever. You were inspired by someone else in another place and time and I know that's what makes your writing so great--that it stretches across all spectrums of gender, race and socioeconmic class and touches all of us. I love this poem. You're so talented, Diane.
I loved this. Like Amy, I thought you were writing for me. My good friend has cancer. I look at the obits. It's time to live. Now! I'm ready to make my own changes.
Wow! I love this poem!! This poem should be every woman's manifesto, no matter how old or young. The last three lines are perfect. Daniel's words are great, too. We should embrace our womanhood and look forward to what the coming years will teach us.
I can be having a perfectly great day, and it never fails...one of my friends will start in on the "we're getting older" lament, as if it's some awful curse. I've been hearing it since my mid twenties. It's time we stopped whining and started living, like your poem says. Excellent work, Diane.
Post a Comment