1) I anatomized her beauty in vain
On the table of my heart with stress and strain
To spot the quintessence and found a void at last
No real substance, mere outer charm, I thought.
Her musings hovered on trivial details
In spreading gossip she never fails.
2) Beneath that fair and lovely skin
Concealed the stench of mocking sin
Her lips may shine like rubies red
Fresh painted on mere fashions bred ;
No gems of equal shine I find
Her words revealed her vacant mind.
3) Her smiles displayed mere show of thrill
No earnest joy but outward frills
Her painted eyes dazzled too bright
No human touch of grace I sight.
Like hanging tinsel globes they dance
With seeming joy, no hearty glance.
4) Her dress bespoke her status high
No casual style, her tastes defy ;
Her outward trappings can't contain
Her sense of contemptuous disdain .
Her mouth pouted with a sarcastic sigh
Can they conceal her conscience dry ?
5) She deemed herself of noble race
No sympathetic feelings I trace ;
In wasting wealth she found her status-sign ;
While common people struggle and pine ;
She passed her time in idle pleasures
Proud of her wanton charms and treasures
6) I saw her jaunty aggressive stride
No gentle gait of a bashful bride ;
A sequinned silver screen she seemed
No tender starry light she beamed ;
Mere outward charm, no proper guide
I let her go -- I slowly moved aside.
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Note : Many poets of 17th and 18th centuries wrote satirical poems criticizing the ladies of high class who gave utmost priority to outward sophisticated fashions and spent most of their time in gossip and idle pleasures. "The Comedies of Manners" is a type of play which exposed the shallowness and loose morality of the society. Alexander Pope in his mock epic"The Rape Of the Lock" (1714) portrayed the artificial and flippant life of Belinda whose beauty was protected by her guardian elves and angels. I made a similar attempt in gentle humorous manner to portray the life of such sophisticated lives of fashionable women in the modern society.
Tinsel globes = Globes made of thin shiny paper
Jaunty = Lively and confident
Sequinned =decorated with shiny metal pieces
Quintessence =Pure essence
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29th December, 2016 Somaseshu Gutala