Bleeding
blue just a few miles away,
she wears
the UK symbol
close to her
chest.
A new shirt
with blue jeans.
Keds, she
always wears her white tennis shoes.
Oh yes, and
a banana clip
the “big
city: Lexington” shopper that she is.
She’s got a
fresh fake tan on her
face it with
a light pink puckered lip.
She’s put
her weekend gear on.
Time spent
away from her teacher role
it is a
stressful one but momma did it too.
She walks
out of her two story ranch home
a beautiful
place of refuge from the world- shelter.
She takes
her children out.
She drives
her two kids
one boy and
one girl.
A minivan
and a great big smile.
She jumps
out with her high heels on and sees him
looking at
her.
She catches
herself feeling uneasy at
misunderstanding
meets ignorance.
Black skin
she doesn’t understand
since the
foreigners never looked like her
“they” traveled to the Seminary in Wilmore.
She never
met “them” on her country club cul-de-sac.
She has the
perception she may be misunderstood
Her hair
undone sleeping with make-up on.
Staying
close to gossiping queens
Unfortunate for
her the world is too small
the next
city big.
She stops to
read the text book
and waits
for her mom to give her advice.
She looks
out the window and doesn’t understand.
She is
broken by the world and scared by her past.
If you wait
for her to tell you who she is
she may be
caught up between “expectation and small town street”.
She wants
more without knowing what she wants
and isn’t
sure what she has been missing.
She may just
be content in living
disconnected
from “outsiders” and “others”…
She waits
patiently
serving,
loving, and doing the same routine.
Never asking
questions bliss seems to be
held in the
unknown
the
misguided
and uninterrupted
face of suburbs.
She smiles
at her neighbors and longs for true connections
in a place where
her heart
can be full
and free.
This
characterization describes the city I went to school in growing up of
Nicholasville. My memories of childhood friend’s mother’s inspired my
interpretation of “small town life” neighbors “big city Lexington” on the map.
Although diversity has seeped into this community slowly growing up there was
extreme segregation. This writing describes what I feel the “mood” of the place
at the peak time I spent there.
-Caroline
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteYou've done trying to show us the feeling of growing up in a small town like Nicholasville that practically runs into the larger city of Lexington. I like how you've made sure to put perspective on this, reminding us the the size of a city is based on our individual experience: "the “big city: Lexington” shopper that she is." Therefore, Lexington can seem like a large city from Nichlasville, but is still small when compared to a lot of other cities. I also like how you captured a tension in your personification of a person who is struggling between the comforts of her town and an interest, perhaps even longing, for something else that is outside of it---a revelation that is both exciting and scary. Your description of segregation adds another layer of tension to your writing. You've provided some great, specific details too, such as the "fake tan" and "sleeping with her makeup on." Good work!
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteYou've done a fantastic job in your description. I loved how you describes how she looks "She’s got a fresh fake tan on her face it with a light pink puckered lip." I have a few friends from Nicholasville and thats exactly how they looked. The comparison you made about the size of Lexington verses Nicholasville. You're character has a lot of similar characteristics that I see in you, she is hardworking and driven.
-Kayla