Boldly

I could stare
(stone-faced, 
steely-eyed, 
clenched-jawed)
into the public
(stiff-backed, 
shoulders squared, 
unblinking)

or I could be
laughing and enjoying myself
in the company of good friends.

I could be redefining
what it means to make a stand,
and how to be a hero.


I could be boldly me -
be heroic the way I want to.

If you want a plastic toy
go ‘round the corner to the dollar store.

Ever square of jaw,
its eyes will never blink.
And you need never be disturbed
by its joyous laughter.




Song Choice: Kryptonite by Three Doors Down

This poem was inspired by a prompt given over at Imaginary Gardens at Real Toads: Escape to the Past (picture prompt)

26 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Debra. There were so many good choices with the prompt, but this picture just won.

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  2. I like you to be heroic the way you want to. Somehow I have grown tired of heroism.. maybe these days the most heroic is to be with friends and have fun...

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    1. Being willing to enjoy oneself can be a small but quite nurturing act of rebellion.

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  3. Every person should grow up to be her kind of hero. Becoming someone else--for whatever reason--it's just not acceptable, or all that fun.

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  4. You are so right, (and I love the photo)

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  5. This is perfect for the photo! Love it!

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  6. What an apt title! I love the levity of this poem, Rommy, and the way you have captured the characteristics of both Spock and Kirk with a wonderful twist.

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    1. It was fun playing with the picture. I didn't have a set idea in mind as I wrote, but I'm happy with it.

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  7. We need the masks, we build 'em, revere 'em, set 'em on shelves and refuse to throw 'em out: Yet how much changes when a mask smiles... great response to the prompt!

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    Replies
    1. It's wise to know the limitations of a mask

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  8. Yes! This is kinda what it feels like to be introverted!

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    1. I hadn't thought of it that way, but I can totally see it.

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  9. As Fireblossom says so succinctly you really do strike the perfect note, both for the picture, and for the message you convey. ".. If you want a plastic toy
    go ‘round the corner to the dollar store..." Amen sister. Your last stanza says it all about the emptiness of being a toy.

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    1. I feel like I got a bit of my whimsy back with this one. This picture was so much fun to play with.

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  10. I like the lines about taking a stand and redefining what it means to be a hero.

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    Replies
    1. LOL, some of the sentiment from my last poem may have crept its way into this one.

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