Beauty is a prison dressed in pink perfume,
, it is stiletto heels on smiling glass-eyed mannequins
, it is the Chinese water-torture, disharmony and sugar.
Beauty is the soft voice of the serpent
, selling rivalry of crimson lipstick and mascara
, telling you that beauty can be bought or caught.
Beauty is the lies that mirrors tells
, the eyes of hushed and snickering beholders,
, the strife to climb the ladder of attraction.
Beauty is a feeble friend betraying with a grin,
, the needle through a butterfly
, the razorwired walls around the secret garden.
But beauty also is the luminosity of friendship
, a mother’s lullaby and breaking bread with strangers.
Beauty is a toddler’s smiling face.
Cranach Metamorphosis (Woman in a Mirror) by Salvador Dali
The internet is full of stories of men who live in “relationships” with life size sex dolls. This made me think about how much of our concept of beauty is based on artificial matters. Maybe me poem is a bit over the edge, but beauty has become something that is not really based on being human any longer.
Linked to Open Link Night at dVerse.
—-
October 4, 2018
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Wow. From “the needle through a butterfly” down, is so powerful.
The image is weird and the images in your poem unusual, Bjorn. They remind me of short dreams, one after the other, quirky but not too frightening, except for the ‘smiling glass-eyed mannequins’, Chinese water-torture and disharmony’.
I love the lines:
‘…beauty also is the luminosity of friendship
, a mother’s lullaby and breaking bread with strangers.
Beauty is a toddler’s smiling face’.
Beauty is…indeed. A wonderful rant brother– something similar could be done on love, liberty or truth. Our skewed worship of beauty has forever been manipulated by Madison Avenue.
Beauty is fleeting and changing. But you write of true beauty in the last stanza. So very true.
My favorite lines of yours:
Beauty is a prison dressed in pink perfume,
Beauty is the soft voice of the serpent
Beauty in my opinion does come in different ways. I really like how you use your words in a surrealism manner and put us the readers in your world of pure creativeness. 🙂
I am quite intrigued by your use of the comma at the beginning of certain lines here — is it a stylistic element?
Beauty has indeed become sellable in a market-driven culture. I like the various forms of beauty you convey from the lies of a mirror to a serpent’s soft voice. I too liked the last stanza with its switch towards what real beauty is. Well-penned.
I have seen the use of comma at the beginning of the line from some of my favorite poets … just thought I’d try it…
I appreciate the concept of beauty being something twisted and used to harm or take advantage of or mislead…however I would surely term that ‘false beauty’ as your last verse illustrated there is a real beauty in the expressions of love and good character.
I see your point- to me beauty is also a fat old cat with a torn ear and half a jawbone who shovels his food across the floor but instinctively curls up on your lap when you are tired and sad.
Excellent imagery Björn…after the initial stanzas I was relieved to read the final stanza!
a very original piece Bjorn – the comma indentations are like a Greek chorus. You tell it like it is and the last verse tells us how it really is
This is really quite wonderful. Beauty comes in any guises 🙂
I like how you show all the aspects of beauty- from it’s use and abuse to its simple beauty.
Nice phrases: “beauty can be bought or caught” and “razorwired walls”.
The toddler’s smiling face is the best. I like how you begin beauty…when it is not actually, specially, with Beauty is the soft voice of the serpent. Creative formatting too, like something is ajar or amiss with the line or verse.
“Beauty is a feeble friend betraying with a grin”… this speaks volumes about lies/deceit and the significance of being sincere in todays times ❤ A most stunning write, Bjorn 😊
Beauty was given much import in my childhood home. An older and younger sister were such beauties, and I envied them that, but in retrospect, it was, as you describe “a prison”. Your poem struck home.
…in the eye – and mind – of the beholder
You have shown very well how beauty is bought sold and imagined. Your last stanza says it all. True beauty is in who we are and not so much about what we look like!
I’ve read in the news of a guy who divorced his new wife because he didn’t recognise her the morning after the wedding day – she used so much make-up it was a mask! Says something for waiting until the wedding night …
True beauty has a timeless, inner quality…as in your final verse. Thanks for this, Bjorn. (I also wrote of mannequins.)
kaykuala
Beauty given a balanced treatment in a number of good or bad situations. The last stanza strikes it very well
Hank
Great lines in this. Beauty is all of this.
A toddlers face! Read a fascinating book on the development of beauty. Amazing how the definitions change over the centuries. We are far removed in our culture from recognizing real beauty.
Bjorn, our first line made me sit up straight in my chair like, “Woah.”
Your first stanza, I read it three times before continuing. I knew I was hooked.
I nodded in agreement throughout, and the final stanza was a well-earned turn.
I don’t think this is over the edge at all. This is where skill meets emotion; simply put, this is art.
Beauty is personified in many different ways, both dark and light. The dark side can be dark indeed. (K)
beauty is the soft voice of the serpent – I like this one line most – reminds me of a scene from the Jungle book where the soft hissing of the snake seemed to take all troubles away with it, such a very powerful poem about how deceptive beauty can be.
Glad I came here to check out your other work – because this is REALLY awesome.
and I have not heard about the life-size dollas (and would rather not know all that – lol)
but really like the whole post and your choice of picture
and fav part is:
But beauty also is the luminosity of friendship
, a mother’s lullaby and breaking bread with strangers.
Beauty is a toddler’s smiling face.
also – we are talking about beauty ina small group I am in – and I am going to have folks come to this post for a discussion part of the night.
Bjorn – your wisdom and social discernment has bled through the lines here- not over the top – right on and brilliant
Pingback: Like the Loopin’ Lady (Friday Fictioneers) – priorhouse blog·
Words mean different things depending on the listener. The beauty of external attractiveness accompanied by fashion, make-up and alteration can be used to manipulate the beautiful and the viewer. Interesting take on the word.
I appreciate the beauty of the last verse and will leave the rest for others. 🙂
This stanza alone:
“Beauty is a prison dressed in pink perfume,
, it is stiletto heels on smiling glass-eyed mannequins
, it is the Chinese water-torture, disharmony and sugar.”
Sheer brilliance, Bjorn! All of it!
“Beauty is the lies that mirrors tell.” Love this line, and the entire poem. So well written.
great and interesting post
wow…just speechless.
beautiful post. your words are so strong and wonderful .
Love how true the message is with people solely focusing on appearance and nothing else