Belladonna
Pressed flowers and pinned butterflies cannot protest.
In the act of preserving beauty, we often destroy it.
In the act of preserving femininity, we often undermine it.
~
I met a woman whose arms grew as vines, but when she
could not blossom, the vines shifted into boa constrictors.
She became a modern Medusa, a stranglehold with a stare.
~
I too wished roses would bloom from my lips,
before realizing thorns offered more protection
from the greedy hands picking my body from the ground
Plucking the organs out like petals.
Like she loves me.
Like she loves me not.
Like it doesn’t matter if she loves me or loves me not.
~
Poison, by definition, is a form of self-defense.
Poison says, "I will only hurt you if you touch me."
Poison says, "I will only make you sick if you consume me."
~
My body, my femininity, my choosing of the defense:
Bleed poison, bleed thorns, bleed boa constrictors,
Bite the hand that presses your wings in pages,
Break the hand that pins you to the wall.
~
I will keep protecting Her
until the wildflowers can grow
until the butterflies can fly away.
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Outstanding
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Comments (8)
Love this, absolutely beautiful writing and imagery. The best I’ve seen in ages
Oh my goodness! This was so beautiful and empowering! Loved the imagery. Truly brilliant!
Love this line " In the act of preserving beauty, we often destroy it." Superb❤️ Well done and so relevant right now.
Great poem. Beautifully put together. 🥰
Wow! So much beauty, power and realness packed into that. So well done :)
Wonderful dramatic imagery and the powerful tone of this is beautiful. Lovely work.
Brilliant! Beautiful social commentary poem.
Wonderful , Bravo 👏