“When in Rome…” they mutter
tongue-in-cheek and lips aflutter.
But it’s true, for him I’m cleaning up my act:
Yes, I’m a good girl,
Swear it, heart-crossed,
[Though I hope not to die]
as simple blatant fact.
I’m a good enough girl for Mr. Pure –
Though maybe only if I lie
about my innocence.
Will he be deceived by my pretenses
[washed my mouth in soap, so he’ll think
I’m honest. No, dear, I hardly ever drink—
And I never enjoy it]
Lured in by the bait of a nice sweet girl
who bakes cupcakes and crochets;
never forgets birthdays and hums as she cleans?
Will he wonder whether such perfection can be as it seems?
How can he argue with a woman so blasé?
Don’t you want to take me home to meet the family?
Let’s plan a white wedding, since I’m so pristine,
so spotless, blameless, shamelessly clean.
[all the stains bleached out with expert care]
I am your stern librarian, child-rearing instincts intact—
Our little girl will wear pink ribbons in her hair,
I’ll teach her to be gracious, sweet, and matter-of-fact.
Our son will be an honest boy, like you,
and not like I, who desperately seeks to conceal the truth.
And while distracted by my sleight-of-hand,
Bamboozled by the trickster he will see only my mask
of feigned angelic pride.
He is an unsuspecting saint, sweet cherubim mine
who pens poor poems and reads them with sighs.
And what will happen when he sees through this façade?
Will he live to regret loving a devil in disguise?
I feel I must be “good” and “sweet” and “pure” to bring him joy—
Heaven help the girl who loves an honest Christian boy!
Author notes
Written July 16th, 2004
What did you think
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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This is a great, fun & entertaning poem. You write very well. I'm gonna have to add you to my favorites.
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I love this. This reminds me of a poem I wrote. I really like how you rhyme here & there, all in the right places. It keeps me on my toes. Very graceful and delightfully mischevious to read. I felt as if I were unlocking a secret vault and exposing someones deepest darkest thoughts. Quite effective really. Good job. I enjoyed reading it.
Much respect,
KTG
Edited on Jul 19, 1:22 p.m. because ''. -
i loved this, i've felt a little like this before so i relate to it. there was an incident in my past that i felt i could never confess, in case it changed the way someone more squeaky-clean saw me. this piece takes a powerful (yet somewhat lighthearted) approach which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read. awesome job!
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Oh, don't worry about me and any supposed conflicts. As with many of my poems, the narrator and the author are not necessarily the same person. The situation depicted in the poem is not specifically one that I am in but, rather, one which is more hypothetical. Thanks for the sympathy and the thought, though.
And in any case, the narrator's mask of the "good" girl is an awful lot like me being myself. I'm pretty dull like that
Edited on Jul 17, 12:15 because ''. -
You should just be yourself, you know. If he loves you, he won't care, but I don't really want to seem like I know what's what. If you want to talk, you know I'm always here.
The piece itself is beautifully written, light hearted and almost humorous on the surface at times, but underneath it's wrought with strong conflicting emotions. I love it. Great job. -
man this is good. I just wish there were more like him out there. He seems like a good catch.
Great write!!
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