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Poetry: The Dolls
by Jeannine M. Pitas
The Dolls
At twelve I was still
that blonde Polish doll
with the crown of flowers and ribbons,
the white lace apron, crimson beads
and the vest embroidered with jewels.
All day long I stood on the mantel
next to the Eskimo woman in furs
the Victorian in her burgundy gown
the geisha in her shining kimono.
Not one of us dared to move
and the hours rolled by like the heaviest stones.
But then, at last, the moment arrived
when the crystals cast rainbows over the walls
and sunset bathed the room in gold.
Night fell, and down we climbed
to take our places on the floor –
On our left, the brown velvet turtle awakened,
on our right, the bears – bride and groom
sat down to their cups of perpetual tea.
Then, the papier-mache owl arrived
bearing his gold violin
and at his first note, we all
became human; we even received human names –
The geisha Yukiji, the Victorian Sara,
the newlywed bears Jane and John
(while I, of course, was Janina).
And all night long, in rounds and rows
we whirled like marbles, like snowflakes, like stars.
But then, one night, my parents appeared
put my companions back in their places
and ordered me to bed.
The following day I was back on the shelf,
the owl was banished forever,
and from that night forward the lamps remained lit.
Since then, the hours roll on like boulders.
Since then, we do not dare to move.
And here on our shelf, in silence we wait
for that blissful moment when darkness will fall
when the dance will begin once again.
—jeannine m. pitas
HOW TO GET YOUR POETRY IN ARTVOICE: Literary Buffalo occasionally features poetry by local writers. The poetry editor is Florine Melnyk. Submissions of no more than five poems and no more than 10 pages in length can be sent by e-mail to florine@starcherone.com or by mail to Florine Melnyk, Poetry Editor, Artvoice, 810 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14202 Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope to have manuscripts returned.
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