Pearl Balloon
by R.Gabrielyan
With her untamed sun-kissed hair and reckless lilac eyes,
Holding a pearl balloon,
Little Miss Hope walks along the boulevard
Without a cry,
Smiling at the heroes and villains the same
Asking everyone she meets for their name.
She cannot tell the honest man from the thief
Nor Truth from Deceit.
She does not know that the smiling man in white
Killed his wife with pleasure last night.
She does not suspect that the young man with the tie that is red
Walks around aimlessly wishing he were dead.
She does not understand that the woman in blue,
Contracted HIV from a guy she knew.
That the college girl with the colorful dress
Pays for her tuition by providing anyone with sex.
That those who look and laugh like her
Live only to see the destruction of the world.
On she smiles to all with heavenly bliss
Because Little Miss Hope had the gift of ignorance.
On she walks
Cross-ing streets and lights,
She walks for hours
With her balloon held tight.
Finally,
Little Miss Hope reaches the place
Where reality and pain
Slap you hard in the face.
Where ignorance is traded
For an ounce of unwanted truth,
Where the veil is lifted to show
That the natural condition of man is cruel.
And slowly she loosens her grip
Her face stiffens due to her acquaintance with doom
Her heart hardens like a slab of cement
And Miss hope lets go of her pearl balloon.
Rosie,
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing poem. The first stanza created a vivid image in my mind. I loved how it rhymed, reinforcing the concept that Miss Hope's world is not quiet connected to reality. Then, in the second stanza, the contrast of lines that do not rhyme show how Miss Hope's world is coming into focus. I love the image of the "pearl balloon," being a symbol of innocence, and her ultimate release of the balloon after her acceptance of a world that is less than "hopeful." The people she crosses in the street are also well done. The colors of their clothes representing, in a way, their lives and personalities. The play focuses on illusions that both people project and others accept. This denial of reality leads to "Miss hope's" letting go of the balloon. Also, the fact that her name is "Miss hope," alludes to her eventual "missing of hope."
Very well done!