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Little Pageant Queen

May 1, 2013
By AugustSummerFling PLATINUM, Mylapore, Chennai, Other
More by this author
AugustSummerFling PLATINUM, Mylapore, Chennai, Other
35 articles 0 photos 265 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;For you, a thousand times over.&#039; - Hassan, The Kite Runner<br /> <br /> A professional writer is an amateur who didn&#039;t quit.

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Tying her own shoelace isn't her piece of cake,
But strutting in those high heels is her cup of tea!
She smiles and pouts and waves and poses,
Swathed in enough sparkles to sink the stars.

Her innocence is carefully tucked behind her ears,
Hidden by an array of bangs and extensions
That claims her otherwise juvenile features,
Shrunk into an eternal duck face.

Her pancake laden countenance
And her black widow eyes become
The oxygen that chokes her soul,
But lets her survive in the glassy world
Of flawless skin and sleek noses.

And the question that I ask her 'proud' mother,
Who dressed her up in glitzy vain glory
And braided strands of insecurity into her hair;
Has no one ever told you that
You shouldn't pluck a fruit till it is ripe and ready?

© Amber L., Carpinteria, CA

The author's comments:
I think that child beauty pageants sexualize girls and steal their innocence.
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 12 comments.

StarGazer9 GOLD said...
on Jun. 27 2013 at 12:36 pm
StarGazer9 GOLD, Marana, Arizona
19 articles 0 photos 79 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.&quot;

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Oh my gosh this is exactly how i feel! It's just not right... great poem!
wordnerd54 SILVER said...
on May. 19 2013 at 10:19 pm
wordnerd54 SILVER, Sparta, New Jersey
6 articles 0 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.&quot; ~E.L. Doctorow

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This is a great poem! I agree- child beauty pageants cause kids to grow up way too quickly.  I like the fact that you address the girls' parents in the poem, because they are certainly a huge part of this unfortunate phenomenon.  My only criticizm is that the first stanza didn't flow quite as well as the rest (the other three were totally flawless), and personally, I would take out the exclamation point - it seemed out of place. But that's, of course, being completely nit-picky (is that even a word?!) The last line... brilliant. Love the poem. Amazing job!
E.J.Mathews GOLD said...
on May. 12 2013 at 6:38 pm
E.J.Mathews GOLD, International Falls, Minnesota
19 articles 2 photos 145 comments
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I'm not all that into poetry, but this one just sort of clicked with me, which is very hard to do. Excellent job.
compassion GOLD said...
on May. 12 2013 at 12:42 pm
compassion GOLD, Nowhere, Other
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Expect to have hope rekindled,expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways! The dry seasons in life do not last,the spring rains will come again.

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Oh my god this is so very well voiced not just for you  but for many others like me who have the same opinion. Amazing!
JRaye PLATINUM said...
on May. 8 2013 at 11:32 am
JRaye PLATINUM, Dorr, Michigan
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So good, especiall the ending! Great job
PotterWhoLocked GOLD said...
on May. 7 2013 at 9:06 am
PotterWhoLocked GOLD, Montclair, Virginia
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I love the line "Swathed in enough sparkles to sink the stars." Well done.
LiraDaeris PLATINUM said...
on May. 7 2013 at 3:02 am
LiraDaeris PLATINUM, Tucson, Arizona
22 articles 0 photos 135 comments

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&ldquo;You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You&#039;re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who&#039;ll decide where to go...&rdquo; <br /> ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You&#039;ll Go!

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Love the first stanza immensely. The imagery with fine foods is amazing
Fallen_ PLATINUM said...
on May. 6 2013 at 6:27 am
Fallen_ PLATINUM, Quakertown, Pennsylvania
25 articles 3 photos 433 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; a shattered world is only an opening into a new beginning with laughs, smiles, and love all around enter the world of the light and away from the broken darkness&quot;

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It's incredible and in a way its right about the pagents i love how in your writing in everything you can feel how strongly you agree or disagree with it you make it your own so i agree with hte others that said that it was just incrediible to read keep it up. XD :3
Jade.I.Am ELITE said...
on May. 6 2013 at 12:57 am
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

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Oooooooh, I loved this! So true, too, and very well written. Good job! XD
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on May. 5 2013 at 12:48 pm
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

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You never cease to marvel me ...What I like most about your writing is that it is always about something that truly matters, and it's as if you try your hardest to make the cause your own. This one was breathtakingly moving. And you made your point. I love all of it, but if I had to pick a favourite part I'd say  the last few lines. Amazing poem.
SimranRazdan GOLD said...
on May. 5 2013 at 6:21 am
SimranRazdan GOLD, Hyderabad, Other
10 articles 0 photos 34 comments
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amazing work. i loved the line "her innocence is carefully tucked behind her ears". I enjoyed the apt use of adjectives in the poem and the way it conveyed a lot before losing the interest of the reader. keep writing!
aladine_98 SILVER said...
on May. 5 2013 at 3:01 am
aladine_98 SILVER, Hemet, California
8 articles 0 photos 69 comments
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You perfectly expressed the problem of beauty pageants, and the emotional damage it creates. I especially like the line, "And braided strands of insecurity into her hair." Impeccable spelling and grammar, and good imagery. Overall you deserve a 5. Great job!