Status Updates From every town’s insolent woman

Next up: "Golden Chapter."

Just two poems left. I might, or might not, just finish this today. We'll see.:)

dedicated to the brutes
who stood idly by--

Part 4: the Reckoning

This perspective from men:

If a woman is to lay
unconscious,
unmoving and still
it is a man's destiny,
it is his will
it is his god given right
to do what he wants to her,
into the night.

but if she refuses,
if she approaches the world
with

how could you do this?

I think they want me to quiet
down,
dim my senses,
not make a sound,
claim my intrigue as less
profound,
but the more I am told to bite
my tongue,
the louder,
less attainable,

I become.

I think that "Vegas" will always be one of my favorites from this collection.

Redemption cannot be made,
with beautifully written words,
the ability to profoundly speak
has to come
from the intention
to be heard.

As the sun finally rises,
the pinks and blues,
fade to their harshness,
I sit in my sorrows--
my eternal darkness.

Holding nothing in my lap
but what
once
was.

I don't know who I am,

I lost everything
by my
own hand.

Part 2: Love & Loss

"The Cottage, with the Teal Roof"

This isn't just a well-written poetry collection. It's her journey told in a highly addictive narrative. It reads almost like a novel. Almost.

Tick, Tick, Tick serves as a testament of time, and its fleeting nature. The protagonist can either wallow in her sorrows and not grow, or she can admit her truths and stand strong. The repetitive "tick, tick, tick" was a very effective means of communicating the anxieties she felt, and the pressures of society.

Cosmic Treasure
Again, this feels so much more profound, knowing that the author experienced these things and had these emotions. Reading her words is a portal into her very soul, and I'm so thankful for these gifts. I could not be more proud of her!

The Protagonist

I read this poem a few months ago on Substack, but having gotten to know Jessica a little bit since then, and rereading the poem now has helped me appreciate all the nuances of it that much more. She conveys SOOO much in a short duration, and maybe this is just me, but there's a lot that she doesn't say, which actually communicates even more. 'Less is more,' you know?