Musings of a Whimsical Realist

A Rose entices simple interest -  Piqued by the blood red Silkiness and scented air - Mother Nature disturbs not But man lives for such loveliness - To beautify false structures Of stark barrenness It often dies a slow - slow - Death of cut torture. Yet to those who yearn to capture Its graces - A careless stroke Leads to pain - Behind beauty Lies piercing defenses - All splendor has its costs - Sharpness among magnificence. Oh sweet guarded Siren,  Rustle with the air the wind blows - Bend but do not break - For the Creator of Resplendence Gave you charm and danger - To Him, rise up and sing His glory through your presence.   [Project 24 is a Creative Photography Challenge that I am applying to my own art form -- writing -- and pursuing with several photographer friends via Facebook.]

I was not excited about this topic when I first read over the list.  I am most certainly NOT a girly-girl.  My least favorite color is “pink.”  Ruffles and hearts on clothing make me squirm.  I wear make-up and style my hair on special occasions only. And yet, not wanting to delve too deeply into the feminist aspects of such a question, I realized that I don’t have to look any further than my two girls to see the wonderful diversity of what is feminine. Firstborn is my “tomboy.”  She runs and plays and climbs and bikes like a maniac.  She dances ballet grudgingly, eagerly awaiting the day when she is old enough for the hip-hop class.  She has taken to crying whenever I force her to wear a dress, wanting to be “cool” instead of “pretty” (I wonder at times if she is 6 or 16).  Yet she also “mothers” her siblings on a daily basis.  She loves her long hair and is again growing it out from mid-back to low-back.  Her favorite color is yellow, and she loves all things princess.  She is fem