Jun 2020
The enchantment entices:
The cheerful music,
The beaming lights,
And all the pretty
Painted carousel horses,
Gossamer white and silver,
Dappled and glossy black
All riding in a IR
C C
EL
Of whimsical imagination
And magical reality.
F A D I N G
Into a dystopia of
A F
L
E
E
T
I
N
G reality,
The lifelong dream becomes
Frozen in time:
Consuming being, soul, and all.
Here I am a carousel horse
T
W
I
S
T
E
D
In unnatural poses with
Artificial S S
M E
I L
Richly bedazzled with
Ribbons and flowers:
A hand painted
Superb work of ART!
I prance on a brass pole,
Stiff and spellbound,
To an eerie tinkling tune in
A
D
I
Z
Z
Y
I
N
G parade with no destination.
Every day is carefully constructed,
Merely going through
The motions:
P and D
O
U W
N.
Everything is cold and bitter,
A 1950's film Noir:
My grey-scale fear envelops me
In a dark void of plastic,
an impending sense of doom
as a stationary effigy...
Slowly I awaken
To a breath of L
I
F
E
A touch that ignites my heart to B A
E T:
I am more than a carousel horse!
My bright paint chips and F
L
A
K
E
S off like snow.
As warmth kisses me tenderly
With F
L
E S C
S U L
H and M E
Hope, love, and forgiveness
Radiate from my body:
S and P
T O
R W
E E
N R.
G
T
H
I E
M
B
RACE my imperfections and
****, I am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!
I loose my bolts,
Abandon my pole,
A strident whinny escapes my lips:
I AM F R E E!
I AM
A
L
I
V I
E L W N
Through my veins blood is F O G!
My eyes are afire
Glowing bright with the Y
Undying flame of purpose! K
I toss my silky mane and tail to the S
With a J Y
O none can tame!
With forceful leaps I
G A L L O P, C T and T O
AN ER, R T
With natural poise
V E
O R
Cotton candy clouds.
I run toward worthy life
Where countless dawns break
Simultaneously in
R
A
W,
R
E
A
L,
F
E
E
L
I
N
G never to return!
The cheerful music,
The beaming lights,
And all the pretty
Painted carousel horses,
Gossamer white and silver,
Dappled and glossy black
All riding in a IR
C C
EL
Of whimsical imagination
And magical reality.
F A D I N G
Into a dystopia of
A F
L
E
E
T
I
N
G reality,
The lifelong dream becomes
Frozen in time:
Consuming being, soul, and all.
Here I am a carousel horse
T
W
I
S
T
E
D
In unnatural poses with
Artificial S S
M E
I L
Richly bedazzled with
Ribbons and flowers:
A hand painted
Superb work of ART!
I prance on a brass pole,
Stiff and spellbound,
To an eerie tinkling tune in
A
D
I
Z
Z
Y
I
N
G parade with no destination.
Every day is carefully constructed,
Merely going through
The motions:
P and D
O
U W
N.
Everything is cold and bitter,
A 1950's film Noir:
My grey-scale fear envelops me
In a dark void of plastic,
an impending sense of doom
as a stationary effigy...
Slowly I awaken
To a breath of L
I
F
E
A touch that ignites my heart to B A
E T:
I am more than a carousel horse!
My bright paint chips and F
L
A
K
E
S off like snow.
As warmth kisses me tenderly
With F
L
E S C
S U L
H and M E
Hope, love, and forgiveness
Radiate from my body:
S and P
T O
R W
E E
N R.
G
T
H
I E
M
B
RACE my imperfections and
****, I am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!
I loose my bolts,
Abandon my pole,
A strident whinny escapes my lips:
I AM F R E E!
I AM
A
L
I
V I
E L W N
Through my veins blood is F O G!
My eyes are afire
Glowing bright with the Y
Undying flame of purpose! K
I toss my silky mane and tail to the S
With a J Y
O none can tame!
With forceful leaps I
G A L L O P, C T and T O
AN ER, R T
With natural poise
V E
O R
Cotton candy clouds.
I run toward worthy life
Where countless dawns break
Simultaneously in
R
A
W,
R
E
A
L,
F
E
E
L
I
N
G never to return!
This is a piece that I wrote after watching the "Embrace" documentary. We all have happy childhood memories of riding the carousel. I know that I do! We have all awaited the pleasant circular journey as if magical moments entice our hearts to a merry tune as we go up and down galloping off into a whimsical dream. And let’s not forget the beautifully painted ponies! But what if there is something more sinister about them...beneath the bright paint and flight of fancy? What if we imagine for a moment that we are carousel horses fashioned, painted, and stuck on a path with no destination? Diet Culture. Society telling us who we need to be. What we have to look like. What we can and can't eat. How much weight we need to lose to be happy. Don’t we long to be free? To feel? To be real? To LIVE? I know that I do! The idea of chasing after an image that doesn’t exist in reality as if fastened down to an endless cycle of trying to fit into a mold reminded me of carousel horses. Society paints this ornate picture of perfect happiness with the perfect body and perfect life, but underneath is just wood, plastic, and mechanics; there is nothing life giving about it. I choose to break free from the merry-go-round of hell! I choose to be real and alive with fat and muscle and flesh, not just a pretty picture! I am more than my body! My life is more than an tireless and lifeless pursuit of a "perfect" body! I highly recommend the "Embrace" documentary for anyone who struggles with body image. As someone recovering from an eating disorder I found it to be enlightening and refreshing!
