79th Virtual Poetry Circle
Welcome to the 79th Virtual Poetry Circle!
Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.
Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.
It's a new year, and if you haven't heard there is a new feature on the blog this year . . . my first ever, poetry reading challenge. Yup, that means everyone should be signing up because all you need to do is read 1 book of poetry, and why not start with the contemporary poet featured today?!
Today, we're going to take a look at a poem from Sweta Srivastava Vikram's latest collection, Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors:
I Am Cleopatra
My teacher thinks I have fangs that dart out words at victims, slobber my venom over them and break their spirit -- an anaconda mutilates a rabbit.
My sister says I scare the mirror with my own reflection. Stupid slut, she said. I growl until my face changes colors but hurt remains. I wipe my tearstains alone.
My parents think I am a dead body of metallic perforations drowning in the sea of my idiocy. I should earn a purple heart for surviving the war in my family. What can I say? At teenage, sarcasm doesn't come free.
I embody the flavors of Cleopatra. How difficult is that to remember? Should I soak twenty thousand Purpura snails to get an ounce of Tyrian purple to flaunt my charm and get your unbiased attention? I like purple, but I do no harm. Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.
I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.