Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Goddess

Or the relative beauty
Peter Paul Rubens’ Venus at a Mirror

Splendid

A soul with room for growth peers out from beneath puffy brown eyes looking at the goddess I want to be but only seeing the woman I am.

In the mirror there are the telltale signs of my mouse brown roots that have seldom been the same colour or style from one season to the next.

Despite the change in my hair this always remains constant.

I like the soft round of my belly and the gentle curve of my hips. I especially love the tender fullness of my breast even if they are no longer twenty-two.

Now I’m smiling for in that moment I’m beautiful. Hands on face, lips parted, eyes sparkling with glee and face flushed with some private satisfaction.

My body is alive with immeasurable joy and I'm suddenly glad to be a woman.

Then misery intercedes with cold feet on wet tiles for while I laughed the tube ran over. I don’t mind for now I’m made to frown for I’ve see the hairs on my leg.

I’m a beast, covered in hair I must tend – shave, wax, comb or tame – I’m forever grooming.

I laugh out loud at my quest and the absurd nature of the body beautiful, my body beautiful.

While I contemplate the imperfection misery vanishes and is replaced with an overwhelming feeling of vulnerability.

It takes a full hour of tending with moisturizers and toners enriched with vitamins minerals and supplements all with the promise to improve.

Make beautiful.

I’m a woman of sound[ish] mind and body so I have the application process down to a science exfoliating, rubbing on and then off.

Then and only then do I sigh with something like relief but while I dress to face the world I feel it.

Naked.


 Girl at Mirror Norman Rockwell

My love, my care,
Simone

16 comments:

  1. You know I've always wondered what thoughts go through the head of a woman when she's fixated on the mirror. Whenever I ask I tend to get a smirk or asked for an opinion on the interaction between a piece of cloth and a body part. Thanks for a little insight, and so eloquent at that.

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  2. Love the Rockwell; not so sure about the Rubens.

    Paint and 'war paint'. One for the canvas, the other for the mirror.

    Bisou, Cro.

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  3. Hello,my dear Simone!-)*

    I love you post for today(as usually!-)...)
    These item:''woman in the mirror''is great because is always an a mirrical,because the woman stay to looks in the mirror and by each of us is a one big question every day:''who I am today???''

    Thank you for sharing of you thoughts,dear Simone!-)*

    Many love and blessings,

    ***Violetta***

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  4. You've captured it all so well...
    The paintings are very beautiful, very similar and ery different. I find it strange that from both I get the same feeling that the face, the person in the mirror is not quite the same as the one who contemplates her reflection.
    I wish you a beautiful day. :-)

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  5. Lovely Simone - you have a beautiful style and voice :)

    That Rockwell print has always made me smile!

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  6. re: Vesper. That's certainly right with the Rubens, but with the Rockwell? I think not.

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  7. Ah looking into the mirror, but at what exactly? Our physical appearance, our spiritual self, contemplating about things we have done or will do...I'll wait until after the hairdressers tonight to look in my mirror :)

    Lovely and thoughtful Simone.
    Have a good one.

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  8. Simone, clever Simone! You sure are good at expressing your mind...I love, love, this post - so simple, truthful and hilarious to me, who is also 'forever grooming'. You are so totally wicked! (^O^) ox

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  9. I enjoyed your post Simone. It was honest, raw and expressed with eloquence. I also liked the paintings. I don't know where you find them, but please keep em coming. All the best.

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  10. I loved this, Simone! It was beautifully done and the pictures were absolutely perfect.

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  11. A nice post, Simone. 'Venus at a Mirror' is a particular favourite.

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  12. Oooohhhh!!!!
    the Girl at Mirror painting impresses me!!
    i'd like to paint something like that... hmmmm...

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  13. You have a beautiful and interesting way to express yourself. And I like how you interpret and tie in the painting with your feelings.

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  14. I tagged you from my blog. I picked bloggers that read interesting novels. It is all in fun but if you do not have time, thats alright.

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  15. Right now I am smiling. Thank you.

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  16. For some reason I found the Rockwell picture sad. Perhaps the idea of a young girl already concerned with her appearance and the image she presents to the world. Then I imagine a lifetime spent worrying about conforming to movie and magazine ideas about what ideal beauty and glamour is or should be.

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