Reflections Of Perfect Imperfection

The passed down advice of “proper conduct” that needs a conscious, social  makeover.

A daughter receives a mirror from her mother that her own mother had gifted her on the occasion of her wedding. Along with the mirror, she receives the baggage of a set of instructions on how to conduct herself in society. Read on to know how she deals with them.

She peers into the gilded mirror,
Vintage, a family heirloom.
Eons ago mother came to her room
And handed granny’s wedding gift to her,
Instructions embedded in the polished silver,
Society’s protocol for lissome girls’ demeanor:
They should be beautiful, prim and proper.

Between layers of expensive cosmetics,
Still flourished the girl’s intelligence,
The stigma of thick-framed spectacles;
Couldn’t stunt her passion for books,
Crows feet and love handles thrived,
Diminishing her chances of getting hitched,
Yet she refused to fluff herself with silicon and botox!

The dusty mirror is clogged with cobwebs,
Of generations of frantic early morning visits,
The stench of stale notions still lingers-
Though she’s discarded the baggage of social duress,
She’s retained the pale, cracked looking glass;
As a trophy for her perfect imperfection,
Because dusk is her constant companion.

Image source: Unsplash

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