NaPoWriMo #13 - Poem Starting with a Line From Norman Dubie

Our prompt from Sarah J. Sloat for today was to launch a poem from a line from Norman Dubie, a poet who I had not read previously. I thank her for introducing me to another amazing poet. She gave us a wonderful list of lines and this is my result. It needs work, but I like where it is going.

Poem Starting With a Line From Norman Dubie

In triplicate, she’s sent an application, listing grievances, to the stars
Careful lines, hand written and spelled correctly
Double-checked for clarity and audience appropriate diction
She wrote her objections

My hair’s too flat, too grey, too lacklustre
My hips are too wide and they don’t swing in the way hips should
I go on for years about my eyes, disappearing when I smile
And I will not even mention the problems with my breasts

A precise list, recorded after hours, days and years of observation
Replicated thrice for the trinity
An inventory of issues

My legs are too thick, too long
My feet have stick-like toes and don’t fit any shoe made by man
My teeth are crooked
My arms lack muscle and definition

Sitting quietly on her porch, beneath a patchwork quilt of blues and greys
She waits for their reply.
She waits for their renovations.

When her eyes tire, and her neck cricks from staring up
She sighs, I knew it, and makes her evening preparations

Looking in the mirror, she prepares for her ritual
For her listing of complaints, a nightly ceremony never changed
As she has hoped for change

But looking at her reflection, pondering her application
She sees the stars’ response, lovely lines, in triplicate:
“She is good. She is worthy. She is ours.”
And she saw that she was beautiful