She strikes a pose,
and those who pass by
pause a few seconds,
envy only what they see.
A warped vision,
smiling through clenched teeth,
doe eyes betraying the deep insecurity
hanging from her bones.
Fragile, fragile, and a wisp topples her.
Fine lines trace the path
along her porcelain shell,
and where it breaks,
nothing resides.
The glass shows her from all sides,
in all poses,
paler, thinner, more perfect.
A mannequin,
nothing more.
ca. 2007
In Quotation Marks 