Harlyn is tattooed with bitter bandages,
vivid scarred blood signatures of bullies
she’s had the ovaries to survive.
Not many welcome different because it doesn’t fit
the definition of candy-coated pseudo normal.
In this modern soap ring circus authentic is surreal.
Harlyn doesn’t care if she fits in nor does
she want to be an eyeliner zombie doing Tik Toks
so her face will trend while her spirit calcifies.
Everybody’s an object of something.
Usually, it’s attention…Why hide when
someone's always carrying arrows.
When she gives it much thought, she knows
she’s always under the gaslight.
Funny how the unread believe they own the bookstore.
Copy and paste aren’t shoes she’ll ever wear.
©Susie Clevenger 2024
"Funny how the unread believe they own the bookstore." That's spot on!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for Harlyn. After all, look at all the conservatives pretending to be ubernormal who are then discovered to be propositioning underage dwarves in the Social Annex after services.
ReplyDelete"Harlyn doesn’t care if she fits in nor does
she want to be an eyeliner zombie doing Tik Toks
so her face will trend while her spirit calcifies."
Harlyn really sounds like she is her own person! I especially liked the above description. A wonderful turn of the phrase. An "eyeliner zombine doing Tik Toks" is a priceless image, Susie!
Fantastic. Especially the line Shay quotes. My kinda girl, that Harlyn.
ReplyDeletehow the unread believe they own the bookstore - Yes this is a stand out excellent line - And the poem lives and breathes and is not copy and paste.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant, Susie, from start to finish.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful lines, Susie. I am a huge fan of "different" ... I 'get' Harlyn!
ReplyDeleteDoing "your own thing" so often just doing what everyone else thinks is "cutting edge" -- pretending to an authentic style they don't possess. I love so many phrasings in this poem, especially "an eyeliner zombie doing Tik Toks." Just right and great use of the word list!
ReplyDelete"so her face will trend while her spirit calcifies. "
ReplyDelete"Funny how the unread believe they own the bookstore."
Brilliant lines, Susie!
"Copy and paste aren’t shoes she’ll ever wear." Great ending.
ReplyDelete