Geisha

 

 

 

I am a geisha -a commotion of emotions

Shironuri guises the blemishes, smudges, snags on my face, on my skin,
But it doesn’t seep in my soul, to bury the cracks, rifts ‘n rents within

I am a geisha,
as real as an illusion, Art in motion,
An ocean of emotion, a magical potion.

my alluring glance entices seduces, stops you in your track,
Hides behind fragments of broken dreams where all hopes ‘ve turned black.

I am a geisha
Broken yet pristine, an uncrowned queen,
Bound to prim ‘n preen, forlorn still sanguine.

My crimson kimono swishes, dainty lithe almost like a feline,
Veils my fears, desires, longing, crisscrossing toiling to align.

I am a geisha
Dispirited yet alive, naïve yet contrive,
An outmoded custom’s strife to thrive,

The obi ‘round the slender waist, my svelte slight frame,
Quashes wrings the craving for wilderness, I so long to claim.

I am a geisha
Tragic yet farce, abundant yet scarce,
laden with scars, still yearning for the stars.

-copyright Supriya Bansal

Glossary

Shironuri -white makeup worn by geishas.
Kimono-Japanese robe
Obi-a broad sash worn around the waist of a Japanese kimono.

I wrote this poem for a prompt-based contest by the Asian Literary society. The prompt was to weave a verse around ‘geisha.’ This verse was chosen as one of the winners. you can see the certificate here-https://supriyasbanter.com/first-prize-winner/

 

Picture Credit-Unsplash