About a year a go my best friend and I saw the Barbie movie. I felt something shift that night. I chose to embrace the glittering girlhood that I felt the need to suppress for the pervious 30 years of my life. About a week after the movie, I noticed a little bit of nail polish from my Barbie manicure was hiding under my cuticle and it inspired this poem. Please enjoy! (and also enjoy the bonus post-Barbie sobbing selfie taken in Jessica’s bathroom 💖 and some bonus covers at the end!)

(also, i’m still trying to figure out the formatting of this site…I apologize for the mess!)

Now, We Are Glittering 
I look down at nails
uneven and naked,
cut down to the quick, 
cuticles tearing
and I notice a speck
of pink
bright and shimmering
tucked forgotten under the skin
where the strong asitone
scented floral fake
didn’t’ reach.

A week ago
we gather at the kitchen table 
under harsh yellow light
affixing dusty powder against our cheeks
glitter to the brow bones
eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man, we joke.
We joke as our nails are drying. 
“careful don’t smudge!”
the delicate decaled daisies
and Y2K french tips
in “Hotter than you Pink”
Halo Taco.
Pink scrunchies and no-show socks
“just girly things!”
ready to go.

Pulling up to the theatre we see
a sea of pink
guys, and gals, and non-binary pals –
inner children laughing
faces gleeful
plastic beaches full of pink plastic sand
and rose coloured glasses.
We walk into Barbieland

114 minutes later
we leave the theatre, 
a flamboyance of women
rose flushed
paled
wet with tears
hugging girlfriends, calling mothers,
arms wrapped around ourselves
reassuring it’ll be alright, 
it is alright, 
it’s the start of alright.

We leave Barbieland
boyfriends, husbands, beta confusion
as we begin to distance ourselves
with the realization
that there was a shadow
inky blue and staining;
cyanotypes of who we thought we were. 

But now we are glittering 
hot pink and hot tempered
shouting NO from the rosemary rooftops
and challenging whoever dare question us,
we are friendship bracelets and Cruel Summers
1-2-3 lets go bitch
Taylor you’ll be fine
Fine Line,
feather boas, two-stepping in the pit,
pinky swears
girl dinners, girl math, days of girlhood.
Girl do you feel safe? Girl lets get out of here, Girl
you’ll be ok.
We’ll be ok. 

I leave the chips of polish
hidden, tucked away, 
a secret symbol of womanhood,
a reminder of the friendships, 
the faith in femininity
forget-me not-forgotten
fragrant freesia winds of change.