This is all new to me

The long iridescent blue dress,

which forms taut around my figure.

My frizzy hair, swept up into a swift intricate bun,

done by magic.

The shimmering red residue on my lush lips,

that hide my horrendously bulbous front teeth.

 

It suddenly dawns on me.

My look is strikingly new to seers passing by.

I need a cloak that renders me invisible,

so I can pass unseen by hungry leering eyes.

Just waiting to feast on my exposed flesh.

 

Wait!

Why did he wink at me

                   whistle at me

                   graze his hands longingly across my back

                   ask if I want a date to the ball,

                   stop me where I stand?

This is all new to me.

 

What do I do?

Do I run rampant through the corridors,

        let out a screeching scream,

        or fold within myself like a piece of parchment?

Maybe if I apparate to the desolate woods,

that I dreamt of many a nights.

With the whimsical trees swaying slightly,

in the biting breeze.

I should be safe,

right?

Or will it devour me whole,

like the man grossly gawking at me?

 

No.

I must tell him that I am not a picturesque portrait,

designed for his pleasure.

A book meant to be held and touched,

by excited fingers.

I must teach him that he does not own my body.

No one does,

but me.

 

About the author: Jessie Linde is a student at Marywood University, majoring in English with a minor in writing and women’s studies. She strives to become a writer and has many ambitious goals, like publishing a novel sometime in the future. She enjoys reading and buying books, though she already has a mound of unread books. She knew going into this class that she is a feminist and after this class, she is proud to be a feminist and let her voice be heard.