Doll Legs
Doll Legs
I had, you said, little doll legs,
and you, curved ankled,
which meant, though it rankled,
that you would always be the woman
and me, the child.
Tonight, the sky is striated with clouds
that look like scars
or maybe mouths, made to stay straight
rather than curve down, clown frown–
that kind of cry
sometimes found
in sky.
************************
A poem of sorts–you can call it a draft–for Margaret Bednar’s referential “Play it Again Sam” prompt on with Real Toads, based in my case, on Kerry O’Connor’s prompt about the great South African poet, Ingrid Junkar.
The above pic is of Betty Grable, who supposedly had “curved ankle” legs. You will note them. Photo from flicker–no copyright infringement intended.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, Uncategorized
Tags: Ingrid Junker influenced poem, little doll legs poem curved ankle poem, manicddaily, poem about relationships, who is the other here poem
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ManicDDaily 
November 21, 2015 at 10:32 pm
Wowzers! what a wonderful poem! I especially love the mouths and “that kind of cry that can sometimes be found in sky”.
November 22, 2015 at 2:09 am
I like how my mind connect with the curved ankle legs, it’s like that grin we feel at night.. It’s like nature mocks us.
November 22, 2015 at 6:35 am
I like that you take me to unexpected places.
November 22, 2015 at 7:13 am
Ha. Thanks. This one does jump rather unexpectedly. I was reading that Junker who is wonderful, and she seemed to be so succinct so just tried that approach, but it may be a bit hard to follow here! k.
On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 6:36 AM, ManicDDaily wrote:
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November 22, 2015 at 7:15 am
That “tonight” in the second stanza is so well place. Loved the way ti breaks somehow with what came before.
Greetings from London.
November 22, 2015 at 7:18 am
Oh, and by the way, I did have a look at the amazon link you sent me and really liked the look of your novel. I have bookmarked it now. Who knows? Maybe when I’m through my bursting bookshelf I shall traipse back to amazon and…. 🙂
Greetings from London.
November 22, 2015 at 7:40 am
That bathing suit makes me glad the 1940s are gone. Some horse is missing its blanket.
The language you’ve chosen, with the clown frown mouths in the sky, have the feel of hypnagogic hallucinations. That means, I like it.
November 22, 2015 at 8:29 am
Agree with Shay, both about the swinsuit and the clouds. You have given the clouds a physical presence and reality–we always seem to find shapes in them, and here you endow them with the personality of the critic in the first stanza–very elegantly, I thought. When I was a tender-egoed young adolescent, my mother told me I had ‘piano legs’ and I gathered I would also never be a curved at the ankle as a real woman should. I gather that was very important to the women of the 40’s.
November 22, 2015 at 9:41 am
little doll legs,
and curved ankled
very much the star
Betty Grable
the pin-up girl
The best proportioned and the most valuable pair of legs in Hollywood. One can never go wrong on that. Sweet memories for the oldies in the crowd, K!
Hank
November 22, 2015 at 11:53 am
Jonker had a way of capturing emotional connections in very few lines, and you have done the same, in your own unique voice. I especially like the contrast between stanzas: the personal moving to the pathetic fallacy of the sky.
November 22, 2015 at 6:37 pm
curved lips to delight in a smile appreciating beauty
nice
much love…
November 23, 2015 at 6:43 am
Last night’s sunset clouds really looked like scars!
November 23, 2015 at 10:30 pm
There is a world of emotion hiding in these lines:
“you would always be the woman
and me, the child”
November 24, 2015 at 7:30 am
I love the glimpse into a world with this opening commentary…intriguing! 🙂
November 28, 2015 at 3:22 am
ankled and rankled, rhymed flawlessly. for that alone (though it’s not!) I would love this poem. ~