* amor vincit omnia *

For Violet Glaze
. . . (or, Harpie vs Gorgeous, made in Japan)
("Our Corsets, Our Selves," Feature, Jan. 2)


It is hard
(I know)
to feel beautiful when
your main accessory is
baby spit-up
and your fragrance
is poo.

Hard to remember your
loveliness
in stained sweatpants
accidentally decorated with
a used
diaper, accidentally left
on the sofa, tapes unclosed
accidentally.

Your Gorgeous will often
refuse to make an entrance
to hair unbrushed
for the fourth day running.
I know.
Your Harpie, nourished by
long nights
unanswerable cries
and a world that dictates
that THE BABY is the most
important being ever created,
thrives.
You
ought to feel guilty
even contemplating
scented moisturizer or
a manicure: Harpie vs Gorgeous,
a battle worthy of
bug-eyed costumes and
badly-synced dialogue.

No one mentions
I KNOW
that The Baby (also)
does better when
Mama
feels beautiful.

January 2008
{published in City Paper 30 January 2008}