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Poetry: Starfish

clinging to rocks with five arms
the starfish thrives under the sea
bounded by thick seaweed forests
and surrounded by free creatures
living complex underwater dramas
and grasping tightly for survival

diving under I hold my own survival 
like a bawling baby tight within strong arms
made tough by fighting external dramas
created through daring the churning sea
of man to see me worthy among creatures;
equal to those hiding within its dark forests

with wide womanly hips, I dance in forests
singing of my own truth, my own survival 
while being told I’m weak among creatures,
unworthy of spinning with wide open arms
spread like wings deep into the sea
of truth you’ve churned into polity dramas

you try and create new elaborate dramas 
within the shadowy, political forests
telling me my body floating in the sea
isn’t worthy of fighting for its own survival;
instead, you must tie my wide-spread arms
behind me like all wild and crazy creatures

for you know better, you zealot savage creatures
bent on pushing single-minded dramas
held in your pure, pious, and holy arms;
while I must run into the dangerous forests
without protection, fighting for survival
in your newly created shark-infested sea

with wide breaststrokes, I swim out to sea
feeling one with the wild salty creatures
who know the sacred truths of survival;
watching breezy seaweed dramas
dance before me in underwater forests,
hugging myself tightly with loving arms

the tempestuous sea hosts maddened dramas 
of all God’s creatures within wavy seaweed forests
filled with starfish arms reaching toward survival

untie my sweet womanly arms as I float in the sea
or dance in forests with its many feral creatures;
let me control the myriad dramas of my own survival

After spending a few days at the ocean I wrote this sestina to process what’s happening to woman’s rights in this country and ready myself to fight back. I’m not interested in debating the issue and any comments attempting to do so will be removed.

53 thoughts on “Poetry: Starfish”

    • Thank you so much. I almost deleted the note about debate, but at this point it seems near impossible to have a civilized conversation around this and many topics. People are unwilling to shift and its part of why the divide is growing bigger. I don’t want to invite anger and wrath to me.

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  14. What a fabulous political statement, Bridgette. So well written, full of great imagery, but most of all clear in the message you want to convey. It has been a rough few days trying to chart these waters. I love that you put this tension, this frustration into these beautiful words.

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    • Thank you so much LuAnne for understanding and connecting with my poem. It’s a difficult time in America and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. We have to use our art to raise our voices and to escape anyway we can.

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  23. Well written (with power), Bridgette
    “Stand up for what you believe in… even if it means you stand alone”
    Go for it!

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