It is always fun to include a poem in this series written by one of my former Creative Writing students. Tonight’s poem comes from Paige Poe, who has gone on to write excellent poetry, among other things. This poem in particular resonates with me because its smart defiance reminds me of my daughter, whose birthday we just celebrated. Can you believe the Orange-Belt Fairy Princess has turned 15? Tonight at dinner we had a serious and logistical discussion about driver’s ed. Tempus fugit and all that.
While I wait for my head to stop spinning, please enjoy Paige’s poem, which was published originally in eleven40seven in 2016.
girl culture
I pinky-promise
I will punctuate my sentences
with like forever, and I will
never stop up-talking.
my thoughts do not
soak like old paintings
hung in my mind’s palace,
some stuffy intellectual ideal
imposed on writers
to swell their egos.
I will proudly admit,
I think in pink
sparkly gel pens on colored paper,
doodles of hearts and flowers,
memories like bright stickers, shiny
and eye catching,
and my mind is always scribbling
like age 13 with baby angst and
diary locks,
every “I” sporting a heart, sentences
using like as punctuation,
words like Grrrl, rad, bitch,
whatever scrawled in the margins.
so yeah, when I consider theories
and literature and complex ideas,
they show up in glitter ink.
Is that a problem?
***
Go to this month’s first Poem-A-Day to learn how to participate in a game as part of this year’s series. You can have just a little involvement or go all the way and write a cento. I hope you’ll join in!
***
Paige Poe is a feminist poet, writer, and theatre artist based out of Houston. She graduated from Texas Christian University in 2018 with a degree in theatre and English, and her work has been published in Vamp Cat Magazine, eleven40seven, Texas’ Best Emerging Poets of 2017, and Brave Voices Magazine. Inspired by Mary Oliver and the confessional poetry tradition, she strives to present modern femininity, mental illness, and her rich family history in her artistic endeavors. Currently, Paige is working as a freelance ghostwriter, editor, and administrative assistant at her family’s business. You can find her at paigegpoe.com and on Instagram as paige_outofmybook.
Sappho's Torque 
I love this. I love what she’s owning, and I love how defiant she is. A woman doesn’t need to “grow out of” teen girl culture to demand respect.
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I agree! A few years ago, a journalist commenting on Teen Vogue put it best (and I’m paraphrasing): girls’ minds are often underestimated, unfortunately, since people don’t seem to realize that they can love sparkly unicorns (because who doesn’t love sparkly unicorns?) and be interested in politics and literature and science all at the time — and that they can prioritize them all appropriately in their minds for any given situation.
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Yes. Exactly. Although, I have met people who believe compartmentalizing one’s interests means “Ok, sure, you can wear your favorite mermaid-scale skirt on Halloween, or to a Comic Con, but you can’t possibly think that’s appropriate for any other situation.” (Insert totally subtle condescending tone)
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OMG eff that guy.
😉
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What a great poem! 👏
I can imagine how gratifying it is to have students like Paige. The aesthetic of her poem reminded me of the classic film ”Legally Blonde,” which radiates with a playful, independent spirit.
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Paige was wonderful to work with. One of the great joys of teaching for so long is having the opportunity to work with a lot of talented and dedicated students. Many of my former students have gone on to have success in the writing world as adults, which is a testament to their focus and ability. 🙂
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As someone who is going to study Professional Writing at the University of Toronto, I wish to have an excellent teacher, like you! I admire how passionate you are about writing and praising the achievements of your students. 😉
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Thank you! 🙂 I hope it goes well for you and that you find many excellent teachers. Be sure to pop in here on the blog from time to time and tell us how you’re doing with it. 🙂
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