Dawn Potter: Senior Photo, 1982

They say there is a me
who is beautiful but I 
snub her in the chalk-dust
hallways, on the bronzed
 
fields. Bare lips pouting
in mirrors, parroting joy:
whatever is hers,
is no one’s.
 
Portraits lie, they lie . . .
Satin hair, and a milky cheek
bent over an open book:
Where does she come from,
 
the mysterious girl, spilling out of my shoebox—
her future clumsy as marbles, useless as hearts?

Dawn Potter’s many books include Chestnut Ridge (Deerbrook Editions, 2019).

Copyright 2021 Dawn Potter

One comment on “Dawn Potter: Senior Photo, 1982”

1. R.A. Kunz

   May 11, 2021

   

   Your poem hit a note. Though it seems like everything at the time, High School is such a shallow metric by which to judge ourselves.

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   Reply

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