Mirror Girl

As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. We have fallen in love with our own image.

“As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism.  The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned.  We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves.” ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

Fix me in time forever young and free

with porcelain skin and pillowy lips,

with silk waves of hair as long as can be

above the sway of evocative hips.

Settle my stare upon my reflection.

I am in love with me, myself, and I.

I will never starve for one’s affection;

for, I am the apple of my own eye.

 

A picture to paint, a vision to see -

I am the answer to every response.

There is no other lovelier than me.

I am the woman that every man wants.

It is no burden to be blessed so much,

to highlight the hourglass curve of my waist,

to straighten the spine that you long to touch

and project the peaks that you long to taste.

 

My eyes are a sky-dipped cornflower blue.

My lashes sweep with a delicate ease.

My touch can arouse and awaken you

as a tsunami unravels the seas.

Like Helen, I can launch a thousand ships.

Men go to war over women like me.

I must take a picture before time slips,

before another man buckles his knee.

 

Full disclosure:  This is a lonely life,

but I would do it all over again.

Beauty is deep, but it cuts like a knife.

Out of them all, I am clearly a ten.

Do not hate me; I am spun strands of gold,

more precious than diamonds or ocean pearl.

I’m the dream that you dream but cannot hold.

I am an illusion, a mirror girl.

Author's Note

Reviews

[Robert Trakofler]

I love the cutting in your cuneiform:) Nothing sharpens a line like a sweet tone to a sarcastic punch! I am blessed with a pickle face and no amount of window dressing or photo shopping is gonna fix it:) I have a few friends on Facebook that are writers that always have a need to include a sexy or provocative picture with every poem they write and inevitably I always think to myself how can they write about anything when they can't seem to see beyond there own noses? Loved this poem it made me laugh and it is beautifully penned

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Robert. I appreciate the visit and your kind words. I hope that you are faring well.

[Chris Shaw]

Always a pleasure to read your work Linda. Such smooth meter. rhyme and fine expression. Sadly all this narcissism has been driven by social media. I was fortunate and yes I say fortunate enough to have grown up in another era. I am really showing my age now, but some things do not change for the better. People are striving for perfection and will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal. Whether that be by photo shop or by putting themselves under the knife, fillers, botox and God knows what else. Whatever happened to natural. Gone with the wind. They all want to look alike. Fake people. A very topical subject. So well penned.

Chris

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Chris. It's always a pleasure to have you visit. Social media is the bane of society, if you ask me. It has done more harm than good; and the younger the person, the more damaging it becomes. It was already bad enough that young girls felt the pressure to look a certain way do to societal standards. That has now been ramped up a thousand fold, and it's all an illusion. None of it is real. None of it is obtainable. Still, girls will destroy themselves and their sense of self for that unobtainable dream.

[Lydia Shutter]

Indeed, much of what we see on the internet is an illusion. A photo shopped version of reality. "I will never starve for one’s affection; for, I am the apple of my own eye." Self centered narcissistic people are to be pitied if you ask me. Remember, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world...as Barbra Streisand sang. This is so well crafted and I liked the rhyming in the stanzas. Very good! Lydi**

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Lydia. I totally agree with you. For all the vain glory that they try to reflect, inside, they feel like the back side of the mirror - dark and ugly. The more narcisstic, the more vain they are. It's sad.

[Ken Simm.]

Excellent and provocative. I really love the irony here.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

A little iron(y) helps to get the wrinkles out. :-) Thank you, Ken.

[Ken Simm.]

Clever Ha!

[John the Baptist]

As usual, excellent rhyme, meter and imagery. Made me think of contemporary poetry, which comes across as saying, "We will now talk about me."

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, John. You are always so astute, and I love that about you. You always have words of wisdom.

[Coyote Poetry]

Damn mirror can hide our secrets dear Linda. I did enjoy the poetry. Sometime illusion excite the heart more than real life. Outstanding poetry dear friend.
Coyote

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Coyote.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome dear Linda.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

" Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved" William Shakespeare Sonnet 116

Love of an image is an empty infatuation. I remember a quote by Marilyn Monroe where she said, "I feel like one of those dragons in the Chinese New Year parade, you know? All frilly and beautiful colors on the outside and hollow and empty inside." But true beauty is worthy of love. I've told my daughters time and again that "real" beauty must come from inside and project outward. It's never the other way around. I've known some women who were beautiful when they were young. They grew old and wrinkled and more beautiful than ever, like raisins in the sun, they became more fragrant and sweet; full of good taste and rich with elegance. I've known other women who were vain and selfish but outwardly pleasing to the eye. They grew old and wrinkled and bitter with time, spoiled by the ravages of years and spitting out the vinegar of their souls that never had a chance to turn to wine in the spotlight. I really enjoyed this write. Bravo for being bold with the truth. Maybe it will reach the ear and heart of some young lady who can still choose what she wants to become while there's still time.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Will. You is a strange thing - defiant until the end. Even if one knows the truth, they often rebel against it. My guess is that this is the case with most young people today. Marilyn Monroe was a whole lot smarter than people gave her credit for. I think she was beautiful, but she didn't take herself too seriously.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I may be a "strange thing" but I'm most certainly not "Will". ;) It's okay, it's early here too. Enjoying some cafe' mocha while my wife is preparing breakfast. It seems that Marilyn was taking herself pretty seriously by the comment. After her "suicide" they found a big stuffed bear on the lawn and her red diary was missing. Believing she had affairs with Jack and Bobby Kennedy, it's been supposed that her death was no coincidence or at least she didn't carry off her own diary afterward. Since both Jack and Bobby were assassinated we'll never know the truth.

[willweb]

I have read the comments below and agree but I am going to comment on the poem itself. The thing I like best about coming to your page is how your poems read, they are always smooth and have a melody all their own. Each piece I have read so far is like a song, you do put a lot of thought and effort into your poems. I can tell and could tell that from the first time. I like your style, the flow, the cadence of your poems and the themes are always good. I like how this poem is basically serious but is making fun of what the world has become and that final stanza, I just had to laugh. Not a hilarious laugh but, I just find it so funny that people are so fixated on appearance. Yes, I think you should always try to look as nice as you can but..."Out of them all, I am clearly a ten." SMH. Very cleverly done.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Will. I am so proud that you find my words worth reading. I agree with you as well. I think people should try to always do and be their best, but no one should be so consumed with their looks that they become narcissistic. That, to me, is the curse of social media. I sure am glad that I grew up without it.

[Betty Hermelee]

When I first started reading this, I thought to myself, what a bragging woman... there's self love and there's conceitedness... but this was way off the chart, even though your choice of words was superb... and the poem flowed so well with vivid images.... but at the end this is only an illusion; what you want to see and then it disappears... I really like this poem, excellent piece.
Best, B

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Betty.