Tuesday, 11 January 2011

The girl in year 10


Eyes darting side to side
Sending laser beams
Foot always in mouth
She lashes out like
A wounded fox
Caught in a trap
Spitting blood

Tough exterior
Radiating out
From a curtain of hair
Behind thick lashes
Caked in mascara
She cannot face life
Any other way

Teachers judge her
Fear confrontation
Send her to isolation
Boys just see danger
An aggressive tone
They leave well alone
She’s a threat

She gives a shy smile
And a look that says
She’s really a scaredy cat
But if anyone gets close
She’ll run away
One step forward
Equals two steps back
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10 comments:

  1. dustus11 January 2011 at 12:40

    You capture the complexion of vulnerability, contrasting with the wall of image many teens use to keep themselves guarded. Great details about school. Nice flow too.

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  2. Anonymous11 January 2011 at 14:49

    Much enjoyed! Very nicely done. :)

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  3. Brian Miller11 January 2011 at 16:31

    working with kids i know this girl...mostly i work with boys but...i feel for her finding her way...nice one shot

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  4. Fireblossom11 January 2011 at 16:55

    Ain't it the truth. You've given a look beneath the facade. Only kind eyes could have seen and then written what is there.

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  5. Anonymous11 January 2011 at 18:29

    A teacher has to know the student.

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  6. Beachanny11 January 2011 at 19:58

    Yes it all works here Libby. I like the change and it had more melody for me on this read. I think of Stockard Channing as Rizzo in Grease .. singing That's a Thing I'd Never Do. It was so great and she was all that tough girl but in that scene you saw her vulnerability.

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  7. Marshy12 January 2011 at 06:56

    hi libby...although its a girl boy does it remind me of me!! the brave face i put on and the way i hid behind the in your face look of being a goth, in my early teens & 20's throughout the 80's..but yes the image was a shield i really was a shy, terrified little boy...thankfully though it also helped me grow up and become what i am today...good poem..cheers pete

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  8. Shashidhar Sharma12 January 2011 at 20:41

    Dear Libby
    Beautiful portrait of a humane character trying to live at peace... I loved your lines...
    'She cannot face life
    Any other way'
    Thanks for sharing..

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com
    Twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  9. Steve Isaak14 January 2011 at 12:05

    Nailed the tween feel/dynamic. Exemplary, effective.

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  10. Rob Mustard29 March 2011 at 10:05

    I like the line "send her to isolation," and would love to know what she was thinking there. This could be the first line of another poem.

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