September 16, 2009

Starlet (RWP prompt #92)

(I felt this nasty little piece fit the prompt's offered words perfectly and I used all but two of them.)

Kohl rimmed eyes and plummy lips,
bottled blond mane and lacquered talons,
a counterfeit confection of delight.
Gossamer wrappings, flimsy nothings,
yet pushing, squeezing, torturing,
barely covering her only assets.

To own the stage, bask in limelight.
Hip-shot stance with arms extended
toss airy kisses and deep dropped bows.
Pretend humility and beg applause.
“Encore, Encore“ - a shower of roses-
Tearful admirers envious and awe-struck.

It’s but a slight remedy, a balm to soothe
the sleepless nights - keep out the banshees.
Small pittance of what she really craves,
compete and utter adoration.
To be the worshiped Venus,
the axis on which existence turns.

She is but an empty shell, a brittle husk,
art and artifice alone, no substance, no soul.
Dependent on conforming to
whims of fickle multitudes.
To quench an insatiable thirst, a junky’s fix,
the fleeting approval for
her meaningless existence.

16 comments:

  1. Nothing nasty about this Cynthia...great imagery,
    'pushing squeezing torturing' ..a good exposee of mindless celebrity crap culture. Now what this girl needs is to put on some sensible shoes
    and go hiking!Good poem..liked it a lot.

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  2. Great words. Fantastic comment with a plausible remedy. We (myself included) at times need to get over ourselves and just live aka hike!

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  3. No, not nasty at all...some great images here and also some biting acridity here too -- but still, not nasty. I think lady Ga-Ga, Britney Spears, et. al. Good write. I think this should be required reading for teenage girls.

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  4. Vivid imagery & very thought provoking. I wonder what happened in this girl's life that made her take this path.

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  5. I don't know what's worse, the fact that this type of creature exists or the fact that there's a huge market for them to exist.

    Great poem, it's very sharp but not nasty. "Counterfeit confection of delight" is spot on.

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  6. This paints a vivid image. Its familiarity makes it even more devastating.

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  7. I don't like that this type of creature does exist, nor do I like the huge market and attention society pays them. I do love your poem, Cynthia. You described the fame seeker very vividly. Thank you.

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  8. You really get all the details in here and I like the double & triple monosyllable combinations (hip-shot stance, deep dropped bows) and other sound effects (balm - banshees, art-artifice, axis-existence); these really give the poem the hard-nosed jut and strut to match or judge its subject.

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  9. An ode to vanity ...

    To be the worshiped Venus,
    the axis on which existence turns.

    The "confections" our society creates and discards so easily, full of empty calories. Well-captured in the poem.

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  10. A great warning about all those pretty empty things whether they come from a stage or from the shelves of the nearest big box store!

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  11. Hi Cynthia,

    Have you been reading 'Hello', 'OK', 'Heat' again?! Like Joanne, I love "a counterfeit confection of delight". These people exist because "we" buy!

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  12. agree with nicole here cynthia, nothing to nasty in here at all. enjoy the balls this piece has and how you address the seemingly dual personalities of these celebrities, contrasting nicely with public perception. a fine write here that bites with truth. -lawrence

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  13. Beautiful description of an empty, vain life. Her painful, instaiable dissatisfaction with her life comes across so well.

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  14. This piece is wonderfully focused. I really like "a counterfeit confection of delight."

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