Paper Doll
Awash in the Sea of Anonymity
Paper doll floating
In the unforgiving sea,
Smiling to have peace
For all infinity.
Soft white gauze on her
Tiny pulp frame,
Floating on the water,
Just a white paper flame.
Tossed upon an ocean
Of the world’s cruelty,
She’s breathing up her last
For all the world to see.
Never clothed in beauty,
Just a little paper doll,
Unnoticed for her size
Of just a few inches tall.
Not a pretty plastic face,
But one of ghostly white,
Shining on a tidal pool
That moves her through the night.
Pulled and pushed along
By the unrelenting squall,
No hope of someone loving…
Just a tiny paper doll
About the Creator
Veronica Coldiron
I'm a mild-mannered project accountant by day, a free-spirited writer, artist, singer/songwriter the rest of the time. Let's subscribe to each other! I'm excited to be in a community of writers and I'm looking forward to making friends!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
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Comments (9)
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I thought porcelain dolls were fragile, I couldn’t imagine trying to preserve a paper doll. Life is just too rough for something so precious-as your poem points out <3.
Wow, this was heartbreakingly beautiful! It felt tragic but had this pull to it that only drew me in further! Great use of imagery and metaphor!
What gorgeous language in this! I loved the line, "just a white paper flame." Beautiful, haunting poetry :)
This is beautiful.
This was sad but hauntingly beautiful! I loved it so much! 💖
Loads of pertinent themes wonderfully expressed
Lost things floating on the water- that's the same theme I went for in mine! I loved it. My favorite line was: "shining on a tidal pool that moves her through the night." Great specificity here.
I love this! The beat and completion of the rhyme is satisfying and poem feels "whole" ... I noticed you called it "a little more traditional" but it is not at all boring, I'm fan of this one! And the little paper doll lost on the water is a haunting image. Well done!