Ah, the beloved Wordle landed once again at Big Tent Poetry. Like a Rubik’s cube of words, except there is no right or wrong way to assemble it. Check out Big Tent to see others’ work. Peace, Amy
Parade of Smiles (Big Tent Poetry)
The parade of smiles, boyish slips of things
that turn out to be teenage girls,
seems to defy explanation.
I gasp as they slump by,
stick figures who should be
waking to full womanhood.
I question silently their choices
of salad over Chinese in the food court
and hope they get enough protein and fats.
My daughter’s love of moccachinos speaks volumes
about her state of mind and body.
She may be a tangle of emotions…
but her body is aflame with curves.
Thighs with musculature and form;
she is aware of herself and fully awake.
© 2011 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
Debbie
Amy, you deliver us poetry with meaning each and every time. Thank you so much!!!!!
vivinfrance
Spot on, Amy. I’m glad your daughter has the right ideas. Moderation and balance are the key to health.
Sharp Little Pencil
That and breathing. Deep, cleansing breaths through yoga just about saved my life! So much stress can creep up with my manic depression…
Tilly Bud
I love your daughter! There is far too much emphasis on looking like a skeleton so I’m glad she is able to defy convention and be herself. Like mother, like daughter, I’m guessing.
Sharp Little Pencil
Funny part is, she watched me take off 50 pounds through diet and exercise – I was 48 and my knees were going bad. Back then, some of my family nagged me to lose weight (not Lex – he doesn’t care what weight I am because he looks me in the EYE first. Great partner, you know?), and now they all nag me to put some back on! I have the bone density of a 25-year-old and great blood pressure, etc., so I tell them all to stick it (well, not in those words, but…!). A
Laurie Kolp
Great poser, Amy. I often wonder the same thing, especially now that so much emphasis is placed on weight. Glad your daughter is on the right track!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Laurie. It’s so true – the female body image started with Barbie and has gone skinnier since then. Barbie had no ass, but these girls have no anything!
Kim Nelson
This speaks volumes about female body image. Such relief to follow a very different path taken with the prompt.
Sharp Little Pencil
Dear Kim, thanks for this. I wrote the poem, as always, before reading any other work, because I want my thoughts to be my own. Had no idea my take would be that unique. And yet here I am, wishing I had seen the potential for SIZZLE in those words! A
RJ Clarken
I am so glad to hear you say that! My daughter is all curves too, but she loves life and is generally upbeat and happy. Glad your daughter is too – says something about her mama, right? Ya gotta love moccachinos – and curves!
Sharp Little Pencil
Riley has been through so much – to see her loving herself is great. But I do feel for the girls at the mall… glad to hear your daughter is in right relationship with food as well. But again, it does say something about YOU! Love, A
thingy
I loved this! Wonderful.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Thingy! I will run over and see you, too. Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Beautiful! I love it!
Sharp Little Pencil
It’s a sad, sad situation, as Elton sang, but it’s so true… thanks, Sherry!
Tumblewords
You’ve spilled this so well…I fear for these young stick-girls, too. So much attention cast on the outside that it boggles the interior. Good post!
Sharp Little Pencil
I once addressed a Junior Honor Society class and said, “Boys, the Street is not a career option.” They burst into applause. To the girls, I said, “Girls, you were not born to be someone’s girlfriend. What’s going on inside your brain is 10 million times more important than what’s painted on your face.” They whooped it up even more than the guys!
Christine
My daughter should have curves, all she eats is carbs, icecream, potato chips, yes and moccachinos, and bread, bread, bread. She is 5f7 and weighs 105, it’s really not fair, that she can eat like that, but also not fair because people have called her anorexic.
Sharp Little Pencil
Christine, I hope I didn’t offend you, or that you think I was writing about your daughter. There are a lot of high-metabolism girls out there (I know several), but your girl is EATING and burning it off. I was writing about the poor girls who starve themselves.
5’7″ and 105 is about where my friend’s daughter is at, and she makes a great cheerleader because they can fling her sky-high and she comes down like a feather! And you’re right, it’s never good to be called names. My sis used to call me “chubs” and “fatty,” and she had NO trouble with her weight. Kids suck at that stuff… Amy
ladynimue
This was so damn good !! I wish more people understand this ,,
Sharp Little Pencil
Just went on your blog. Tempted by the March Challenge, but not ready for that commitment… thanks for this comment. I appreciate that you “get” the bigger (or smaller) picture. It’s all about self-image. Amy
Mike Patrick
Somewhere, there has to be a man who thinks those stick figures are attractive. I personally don’t know one. Instead of our adoration, they have our sympathy. Now, if you want to talk about the Victoria’s Secret models . . . .
Sharp Little Pencil
Mostly, the men who are attracted to model-thin women tend to be controlling personalities in my experience. And ha ha ha about the Victoria’s Secret models – I don’t want to see any woman have to show that much skin to total strangers in order to make a living!! 😉 Amy
liv2write2day
This is just perfect for the wordle…makes me wonder if the book they took the wordle from was young adult fiction. Nicely written, Amy. Have fun with your teenager!!!
Sharp Little Pencil
Even better, she is 22 now and living on her own in L.A. We talk and IM often.
You know, that wordle does seem like something that would come from that source. Hmmm…
Donna Vorreyer
Very nice piece -I teach teenagers and I recognize both types of girls from your poem. Glad that my blog could send you to the Big Tent – it’s a lovely place to hang out.
Sharp Little Pencil
Donna, I’m so happy to be in touch with you! It’s true about body image – I also see boys who feel scrawny are turning to steroids without much thought… so sad.
Yes, I had been at Big Tent before but fell out of the loop because of their “come back Wednesday” proviso – manic depression is hard enough to organize without the extra things on my calendar. But you were the catalyst for the return, and I do thank you. Amy
Joseph Harker
Right when that word “form” hit the page (er, screen) is when it really came together, I think. All the carbophobes just seem like paper cutout people without any presence and substance (in more than one sense of the word)… being comfortable with what the body is leads to treating it with the respect it deserves.
Sharp Little Pencil
It’s true that the body needs what the body needs… and that self-denial creates all sorts of problems, not the least of which is failure to feed enough fats to a developing brain. Vacuous is as vacuous does. Thanks, Joseph, for a great critique! Amy
Shari Smothers
What a great poem! Great form. Great observations about a serious matter. Well said all around.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Shari, and I loved your Wordle as well! Amy
ms pie
wow, love that slp… indeed it does speak volumes… thank heavens… when girls are secretly cutting themselves… oh geez, it’s just plain heartbreaking to know there are a lot more out there than we realize… yes, please good old yes, thank you very much i do like myself…
Sharp Little Pencil
I can tell you like yourself – even your choice of screen name reflects it! 😉 Amy
Jingle
salad is better for good reasons.
well done craft.
🙂
booguloo
Speaking of smiles, when do we get to see yours??
Sharp Little Pencil
http://www.amybarlowliberatore.com is a good start!
Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator
I could really see this–the girls at the mall but also I see them at the college where I teach. You describe it really well–and with the wistful perspective of a mom, too.
Sharp Little Pencil
I know you are a mom too, G., so I thank you especially for that. And college these days is fraught with all sorts of problems for our young people. They are up against so much more than we were at that age… Amy
uponthewingsofnight
I enjoyed the poem, Amy, and it gives me a reminder that women with curves rock! I’ve been with one for 22 years and have no intention of changing that. Brett