I wonder if I could find it,
beloved book of my childhood
whose story transported me
past ordinary black girl status
to the rarefied life of Melinda,
a brown-skinned charmer who longed
to sing and dance on-stage
so everyone could roar their applause,
captivated by her dazzling talent.
I remember its coarse cover
of woven green cloth, its large type,
pages soiled by fingers of girls
who took it from the library
to read it in their rooms,
dreaming of being as pretty
as Melinda, as adored by adults.
Every teacher loved her –
her cute nose that wasn’t
too broad, her lips that weren’t
too full, her head of Shirley
Temple curls. But beauty
wasn’t enough for Melinda,
who wanted nothing but to be
the lead in the school play,
a production of Alice in Wonderland
that called for a petite blonde Alice
used to pinafores, bows, white stockings.
So desperate was Melinda that she
powdered her brown skin pale,
perched a wig of fat yellow curls
on her head, put on her best dress –
one her momma kept pressed
for Easter – and she auditioned
for the role, won it, loved
all the more for her sweet
singing voice, her poise
under piled-on make-up.
She was the girl everyone cheered,
the gifted child we all hoped to be
before mirrors and magazines
told us otherwise.
So if you find this book
at some swap meet or garage sale,
if you dig it out of your mom’s attic
or grandmother’s basement, send it to me.
I’d like to read it again, touch it, see
if it’s like I remember. And then,
I’d like to burn it. |
|
CURIOUS ABOUT THIS POET?
Visit her personal website:
http://allisonjoseph.net/
Visit the SIUC blogsite:
http://mfacarbondale.blogspot.com/
MOST POPULAR PAGES:
Poetry Contests
Chapbook Contests
Book Contests
Book Awards
Funding
Fellowships
Conferences
Colonies
Writers' Centers
Teaching Materials
Poetry Online
Links |
