Sunday, February 12, 2017

Magdalena Ball - Persona Grata - Mel’s Reflection

I thought I’d give the memoir a little rest and move onto another section for a bit - some persona poems I’ve been working on.  Don’t think I like the title - it’s temporary.  Not sure I want to make the real life persona obvious (MG of course), but I’m open to suggestions. 

Mel’s Reflection

One day the mirror, with its sweet surface
of flattery and desire, cracked

beneath the sheen
the pancake makeup of my craft
I saw my face in polarity
the fractured prism of a whisky glass 
my father’s shaking hands
after another session with the leather belt

one thing about celebrity
there’s nowhere to hide

I play everyone but myself
the twisted logic of masculinity
a ragged wig, a trick
the harder he hit, the softer I got
a paradox, split the brain
split my lip, stopped crying
for a god that wasn’t answering

my inner blank
broke into waves
hunger contractions through the 
reflection of a bottle

the disease fractured against my hands
my lips, my eyes wide

I hit the wall until the pain 
triggered my dopamine receptors
and I fell
a broken body
amalgamated into some kind of truth

I might go somewhere 
where no one can find me


to make amends.

4 comments:

  1. powerful, important
    and lots of work for the reader to do

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad to hear this persona work isn't biography...
    A powerful utterly wretched insight sketch here Magdalena. I didnt know what alarm to ring first!
    Challenging to say it mildly and poised equally by it's structual crafting. If you aren't looking a cubism (paricually Picasso).. right now might be usefull :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an experience! The "true" model would certainly agree! One thing french ears don't like, the "somewhere" just followed by "where" but I understand this is not a problem with the English aesthetic, so everything is fine! As for titles... they are always such a difficult choice... some suggestions: Amends Man, or, as native American people would do: The-One-Whose-Broken-Body-Almagamated-With-Truth... or just Almagamated ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. (only) If you are looking for a title suggestion - Mend or Mending... :)

    ReplyDelete