Monday, August 02, 2010

Love Starved

Inside,
she was sinister
her heart a black stone
motivated by
greed and power and fame
but the magazines and
movie screens
hailed her beauty
and her visible bones
as perfection in female form.
Show us your ribs
and every link of your spine
then you'll be the woman
every man will desire
but until we see bones
you will grow older,
forgotten, alone.
No one cares about the
depth of your soul
(or your heart)
We truly do not care
if you're kind, honest, and smart.
You need to be young
and we need to see
bones.
So the little girls
run in the cold of night
starving for love
so often denied because
the message they hear
so loud and so clear:
We Measure Your Worth
By The Bones We See, Dear.
The skeleton girls on the
runway sigh,
once you hit 30 you
might as well die.
(Nothing can tempt me, not even mom's apple pie.)

9 comments:

jadedchalice said...

hit me at my core. No words. But thank you.

Harmony said...

Our society in general does not appreciate inner beauty. We have allowed the media (most specifically the internet in the last 10 years), the fashion industry, and male-dominated consumerism to program us to accept what is beautiful and what isn't. It is a reflection of American society where everything is about immediate gratification. A woman of substance is rarely valued, unless she is also physically beautiful and under 40. Since true substance comes with age, that is a difficult combination to achieve. As women, we can feel hopeless about this, or we can believe that we do have value, we do matter, and someone worthy will see us for who we are. Until then, continue to live your life with passion. You have a gift. Thank you for inspiring me this day.

Anonymous said...

ugh..this picture is so sick. I think your words tell the story so well. I cannot comprehend one desiring control over food to the point of ignoring basic human instinct and survival. We are all too hard on ourselves...striving to be something more perfect, when we were already created that way.

Nick said...

And how quickly people turn on beautiful starlets when they gain a few pounds - how about Jennifer Love Hewitt and her cellulite, or Britney Spears a few years ago when she got a little chunky? We fixate on the exterior and think that makes the person. We are all guilty of this. You caught me by surprise with your closing line - I love a little humor even on a dark subject - very effective!

Chana said...

Scathing slap to societal idiocy - genius.

Unknown said...

holy shit thats waaaay to skiney

Anonymous said...

Ugh. That does it! I am definitely grilling Cheeseburgers tonight! As always, you are right on target!

GHAJR

Unknown said...

This was so raw and so honest that all I can do at the moment is appreciate and digest it without comment. Thank you for your courage to say what so many who mute themselves (ourselves) can not.

Manic said...

I have watched someone I loved do this to themselves. So proud of her 'size zero' status she could not see she was very ill. A very affecting poem Itsa. Very well written.