Poetry Power: “Peaches”
Junior Isabelle Wesner is the next poet to be published in The Olympian. “My English class had just finished a movie called Pleasantville and after we were told to write a page about it for homework. I don’t do homework. Instead the words pleasant and perfect and pristine and pretty rolled around in my head until I couldn’t think of anything more unachievable than words that started with P,” she said.
Peaches
People peer at Peaches pretty pupils
And ponder Peaches’ perfection.
Putting Peaches on a pedestal
Of pitted promises and
Petty presents.
People peer at Peaches and presume
“Peaches is polite
Peaches is proper
Peaches is pure”
Plus Peaches’ prosperous pay
Produce people’s perception that
“Peaches parents’ must be positively proud
Of their pristine, perfect prospect.”
People pushing Peaches’ picture to appear perfect-er,
Peaches puts posed polaroids on platforms;
Prada, pumps, and pink placed at the pinnacle when
Peaches’ pretty poppy patch is poisoned.
People pick at Peaches’ petals
And ponder Peaches’ perfection.
Peaches puts on pearl pendants
Out performing previous presentations.
People peer at peaches and presume
“Peaches is pretending
Peaches is prosaic
Peaches is practically a prostitute”
Prada and pumps don’t prevent people from peeking.
Kicking Peaches’ pride till
Peaches postulates people’s presumptions
On Peaches proper price.
Parties are pulling Peaches hair
People start prying, pinning, and pawing
Proclaiming “Peaches is pleading for a peck”
“Peaches’ purpose is to please”
Out of pure, petrified pain
Peaches’ heart pauses pumping
And progresses to a pit.
Peaches’ skin is processed to porcelain
And people peer at nothing but plastic.
People pray for perfect Peaches back,
But Peaches’ perfection produced
A powerless pawn, played for a princess
Placed precisely in a perilous man’s palm.
Peaches isn’t coming back.