i’d like to tell you about myself.
silent, i sew—
stitching together one’s once crooked nose,
matching the girl’s papery skin where they meet,
stapling them together with much care.
tiny rivers of red cascade down her cheeks,
yet as silent as a morgue the room remains.
perhaps because this very room
is what strips young girls of their playful souls—
it is where they die once, to be reborn.
no different do they feel,
than before their encounter with Death.
yet when they peer into the mirror,
that’s when they realize;
the reflection that stares back isn’t them.
---->cue fireworks of euphoria.
lord! when they look for an elusive thing called happiness,
they look no further than their local seamstress.
why, oh why! must i stitch up their problems with a fragile thread,
when the treasures they seek
are hidden deep within them?
"the seamstress" is a free-verse allegorical poem that features a seamstress, which is analogous to a plastic surgeon in modern society. This "seamstress" fixes girls' faces by "stitching" them up and fixing them and becomes increasingly frustrated as she knows that true beauty and depth lies in their character instead of their faces. I felt compelled to submit this to DAY as plastic surgery is something that is especially prevalent in Korea, as well as other Asian countries.
Biography:
Sena Chang is a Japanese musician, poet, and artist. In addition to writing poetry related mainly to her Asian heritage and Kafkaesque scenarios, Chang enjoys reading Haruki Murakami. Her most recent works have appeared or are forthcoming in Ayaskala Literary Magazine, Raised Brow Press, and The International Educator, amongst others. She tweets unprofessionally @senawrites.
Instagram: @_senachang
Cover Photo Source: Allure