A collection of poems for The National Poetry Month 2020.
All in different forms. Each a learning experience.
🏆 First place in Azurite Awards (Moonstone - Poetry)
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She stands tall and straight, a picture of perfection; Flawless complexion, smooth skin and lovely face; Expressive eyes, gentle of speech, epitome of modesty, Dressed in elegance and moving with quiet grace.
That grace is a chimera; calm without, wildness within, Concealing imagination, dreams and passion for life; Bound by society and bowing to parental obligations, Her many desires, she smothers, to avoid a strife.
But strife cannot be avoided, despite her attempts, For life is always a series of battles, large and small, There is always conflict, choices are to be made, Foolish to strive so hard, to keep peace with all.
Peace with all is an illusion, a shimmering mirage, The pursuit, which leads one, on a wild merry chase, But following her dreams is not an easy task either, A heavy price to pay, a precarious balance to embrace.
A precarious balance between the various roles, That she plays from compulsion and choice; A mother, daughter, a sister, friend and wife, Juggling between these acts, she lost her voice.
The voice that echoes in the silence of her tears, As she judges herself in the eyes of the world; What she does, what she says, it is never enough Betwixt certainty and insecurity, she swirled.
She swirled, yielding to doubts, then finding strength, Torn between what she is and what she wants to be; Unsure whether to listen to the world or heed her heart, Or believe the beauty that, at times, in a mirror she does see.
For at times in the mirror, is reflected the rare reality, Her true self, glowing in the shine of her beautiful soul; No job nor clothes nor lifestyle nor figure nor colour, But the light within that makes her lovely and whole.
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So that is today's poem - a Matryoshka poem. I could not find much literature on this poetic form, but reading some example gave me the idea of writing a layered one, each line leading to another facet. Hope I have done a reasonable job.
A Brief History of the Birth of the First Russian Nesting Dolls
Completed in 1890, the first set of the Russian nesting dolls were crafted by a woodworker named Vasilii Zvyozdochkin, and painted by an artist, Sergei Malyutin. It was believed that Vasilii wanted to create a wooden doll with hidden toys inside of it. They created a wooden peasant girl clothed in a traditional Russian attire complete with a headscarf. She was named "matryoshka" meaning "little matron", also referred to as the Rooster Girl, since she is more known as the wooden doll holding a black rooster in her arm.
Inside the first matryoshka doll were seven more wooden toys, each having their own characteristic feature and attire: the second doll is of a female, the third another female holding a scythe, the fourth is yet another female holding a bowl of what people assumed is porridge, the fifth is of a boy holding a long object that is believed to be a broom or maybe a fork, another female doll is next in the set holding in her hands a sibling with no clear gender, the seventh is another young girl, and lastly, is a baby wrapped in a patchwork quilt.
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In 1900, this set was then presented to the Exposition Universelle in Paris, France, where it received a bronze medal. Shortly after, the dolls gained popularity and began to be manufactured from many parts of Russia. Soon enough, matryoshka dolls not only became known nationwide but also exported worldwide.
The full article is available in the external link.
