At one point I created a sort of alternate self (another alternate self, in fact) but this one to express my feminine side. Or perhaps to express empathy for the feminine side – there is a yin for every yang, a O for every X. So I invented a sister called Alicia who wasn’t afraid to put me in my place sometimes.
So digging into the vault this morning I grabbed some of her stuff and shook the dust off it …..
*
Look. Don’t stare
I’m not invisible
But I don’t care
To be an invention
Of desire
Of thoughts that conspire
To recreate
Denigrate
I am not an image
From a magazine
To be seen
As paper thin
Nothing within
For I am more than skin
Deep.
So don’t peep
This is not perfection
Nor rejection
Just look
At me
And try to see
More than your own reflection
*
P.S. I apologise for reposting stuff 3 mornings in a row which may have been previously posted. The fact is that I am caring for my 3-year old grandson at present and have just a short time, and virtually no brain capacity, available before he gets up and enters the day at full speed. After that it’s all about playing with cars and trucks and fire-engines and riding bicycles and finding cows and kangaroos.
Alicia is no help at all.
Richmond Road 
Oh my, how thought-provoking! I have a few alter egos: Gem (Meg spelled backward), who everyone wants to be; Large Flatulent Marge, my angry side; but I don’t think I have a male one! I should! Hmm…. his name could be Morgue (short for Morgan, which is similar to my birthname). Morgue would be very… well, he might fart and scratch himself a lot. Oh my. Hmm. Or he could be really sensitive and dreamy. Probably, though, Morgue would go around beating everyone up, and no one would like him. See, I’m rather aggressive, so if I had a male side… yikes!!
I love the poem! Yes, women hate being objectified! It’s never happened to me, but from what I’ve been told, it’s a horrible experience!! 😮
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This is such a powerful and raw expression of self and identity. I love how Alicia gives you a way to explore your feminine side, and the poem itself beautifully challenges how society often reduces people to surface-level images. It’s a reminder that there’s so much more beneath the surface that often goes unnoticed. Also, no need to apologize for reposting – life with a little one is a full-time job!
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You are so kind buddy. Thank you for your kind words.
I recently completed round 1 of the NYC short-story contest, but wasn’t really feeling up to it, so I passed the reins to Alicia. I liked her take on the whole thing, but whether or not the judges will agree remains to be seen ….
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