Barbie Doll- Marge Piercy

Barbie Doll

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.

The Sun on a Spring Day..

Barely any shadows.
The sun glistened on my skin
with happiness and a never ending bright future.
The sun never seemed to fade away.


"OH NO!"
Out the door Maxx had ran,
faster and swifter
than a blink of an eye.





Jorge chased after him, Brian and Hailee next.
Edgard had finally snatched him.
Maxx was saved.
I was saved.

A smile towards the camera 
to welcome her back.
After a week being locked away
in the mental hospital, my mom is home. 



Hard times always got her deeply down.
She didn't know it would pass on 
to her naive daughter.
She didn't know. Neither did I.

I didn't know the sun would set. 
That the shine would get covered by the 
darkness that creeped and stalked the
happiness. Weeks, months, years.

The shadows casted over the smiles
As they ran away from me.
The darkness sweeped over our tracks,
 past memories and our upcoming future,

one-by-one, getting picked up and drifted away.
I didn't know he would get taken away,
nor we would all alienate one another.
At once I was, but now I know

I am not going to be saved..