Charmed Life


Broken

Pop Bead Girl

I grew up jealous
of charm bracelet girls
wearing open books
around their wrists.

I coveted their hearts,
cheerleaders, music notes,
four leaf clovers, celebrations.

I was a pop bead girl,
plastic noise in a break apart world.
Secrets couldn’t be polished into silver.


 ©Susie Clevenger 2016

________________________________

Silver Lining


Comments

Sherry Blue Sky said…
Oh! My! Goodness! I LOVE this! I remember those charm bracelets, so far removed from my not-charming life. I, too, was a pop bead girl, I had forgotten pop beads till I read your poem......oh, Susie, how I relate! This is brilliant!
April 7, 2016 at 10:20 AM
Sanaa Rizvi said…
The last line stole my heart!
Beautifully penned.

Lots of love,
Sanaa
April 7, 2016 at 10:22 AM
Anonymous said…
I had forgotten also. Love this - charm bracelet girl, pop-bead girl kind of being.
April 7, 2016 at 10:39 AM
Hannah said…
Oh wow...this resonates with me and I love your closing image with poem...what an excellent idea! Thank you for the challenge, Susie!
April 7, 2016 at 10:48 AM
Anonymous said…
Well, just wow!! you have perfectly captured the social cliques of that time. I was apop bead girl too.
April 7, 2016 at 12:55 PM
De Jackson said…
Love love LOVE. Mine went this direction, too, but not nearly as beautifully. LOVE this: "wearing open books
around their wrists," and the piece encircled in the photo. Just fantastic.
April 7, 2016 at 12:57 PM
Ellecee said…
I was a pop bead girl and felt as your gal did,,,but life later brought different gifts as your charm circle shows,,,
April 7, 2016 at 1:41 PM
brudberg said…
I love it Susie.. though I cannot directly see it, I could observe those differences in the girls around me.
April 7, 2016 at 3:21 PM
✿ said…
This is awesome. I always found that charm bracelets were a good place to hide lies, like poems, I suppose. I had all kinds of charms on mine that had absolutely nothing to do with who I was or what I spent my time doing.
April 7, 2016 at 4:01 PM
Outlawyer said…
Ah so clever and poignant. Thanks, Susie. K.
April 7, 2016 at 6:53 PM
Rommy said…
I coveted charm bracelets too. LOL, I never did get a traditional one, but I like my Italian charm bracelet well enough.
April 7, 2016 at 7:41 PM
Maude Lynn said…
Damn, Susie. This is just brilliant.
April 7, 2016 at 7:47 PM
Gemma Wiseman said…
Charm bracelets were all the rage in my growing up days. Charms were a coveted gift at Christmas or birthdays and they would be added to the bracelet circle with great care. Love the twist of being a bead girl... the outsider.
April 8, 2016 at 4:39 AM
hedgewitch said…
I agree with MZ, Susie--brilliant, and clear and breakable as glass, with little splinters that are so sharp and hard to remove. I saw the first stanza on FB yesterday and though it was a great poem, but seeing the rest of it is even more mind-blowing. thanks also for the challenge, which got me writing.
April 8, 2016 at 7:47 AM
Rosemary Nissen-Wade said…
Oh, that was me too – all of it.
April 8, 2016 at 8:49 AM
grapeling said…
punk rock poet you are, Susie... ~
April 8, 2016 at 11:38 PM
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