True Mirror - Poem

Layers upon layers of cotton beneath the stunning suffocate the young girl as she steps forward once more

The silly pantaloons underneath add to the heat of the skirt

The baby blue fabric balloons around her shoulders, dives down in a square along her thin neck and rushes down to sweep the floor

The waist in cinched high, just beneath her breasts with a pure white ribbon

eyelet lace trims the neckline and the sleeves

Lace gloves cover her delicate, perfectly manicured fingers

Two ringlets of gold hair rest next to the puff sleeves, shining in the blazing sun

The rest of the gold is hidden beneath a ridiculous white straw hat with a matching blue bow

The opalescent string of pearls and satin shoes complete the princess look

Before, she spun around her room gracefully

twirled a lock of hair between her fingers as she looks at her grandmother’s antique mirror

this is her favorite form of dress-up

dreams from her childhood come to life right before her eyes

Now, she stands proudly in front of the historical plantation homes

watches her mom smile proudly back

innocent and pure she seems

but so much hatred between the lines

so much hurt in the walls behind her

so much violence in the grass below her

and she doesn’t even know it