Photo Credit: http://photo.elsoar.com
little girls read between the lines
“to gain attention play the part”
she must be pretty all the time
be nothing more than living art
to gain attention play the part
when fashionistas call the shots
be nothing more than living art
she’s valued most when she is “hot”
when fashionistas call the shots
scholarly goals are second rate
she’s valued most when she is “hot”
try as we may to educate
scholarly goals are second rate
unlike her brothers wild and free
try as we may to educate
she’ll fight for opportunities
unlike her brothers wild and free
little girls read between the lines
she’ll fight for opportunities
she must be pretty all the time
kat ~ 11 March 2016
Forgive me! I blame my cynicism on this election season! Alas we are not there yet…just tapping on that elusive glass ceiling…and I fear that those longing for the good old days might be our undoing. Rant over!
A Pantoum for Jane Dougherty’s weekly poetry challenge. Read more about the Pantoum and the other poem entries HERE.
like mercury colliding... 
March 11th, 2016 at 2:38 pm
God bless the little girls. 🙂
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March 11th, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Yes indeed. I hope the best for my daughters and granddaughters always and all ways!
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Wonderful poem and it is so true!
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Thank you! Sadly still true!
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:14 pm
Yes it is. It probably remain so for a long time.
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:18 pm
You are right. 😕
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Pretty inside. I hope she knows how to value that more than the exterior. Good pantoum, Kat, as well as good ethics 🙂
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March 11th, 2016 at 3:20 pm
Thank you Jane. I remind my daughters and granddaughters of this, pretty on the inside, all the time!
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March 11th, 2016 at 4:11 pm
A very interesting way to put together a poem! But I do like it. 🙂
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March 11th, 2016 at 4:58 pm
It was definitely a challenge to repeat the previous lines and include rhyme. A good exercise! 😊
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March 11th, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Fantastic job on the Pantoum. Yes, you are very right this is how many little girls are raised. Beauty, being thin etc. Is important. I was lucky to have a family that valued school and learning, that still do. But still even as a grown up little girl I think pretty always seems to come first, in society as a whole.
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March 11th, 2016 at 4:56 pm
We are conditioned to believe it, no matter how accomplished we are academically or professionally. 😕
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March 11th, 2016 at 8:34 pm
Love this!
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March 11th, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Thank you Lynn!
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March 11th, 2016 at 8:53 pm
Smart and beautiful, inside and out, with or without make-up. I love your poem.
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March 15th, 2016 at 4:30 am
[…] Little Girls Read | like mercury colliding… […]
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March 15th, 2016 at 6:51 am
Nice job, and the message is all too true. Women are still viewed as property all over the world.
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March 15th, 2016 at 7:03 am
Thank you Merril. It is…
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March 15th, 2016 at 7:05 am
Well put. We’ve still got a long way to go. (K)
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March 15th, 2016 at 7:07 am
Yes we do. Thank you for your comment.
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March 15th, 2016 at 6:50 pm
I don’t read cynicism at all – it’s a sad fact…very true! I concur 1,000%
There were definitely different standards set for my brothers – they had far more leniency than I did.
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March 15th, 2016 at 8:55 pm
Thank you for that affirmation. It is sadly true!
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