Alice, 2008
- Alice, 2008
Dublin Core
Title
Alice, 2008
Subject
Carroll, Lewis, 1832-1898
Hargreaves, Alice Pleasance Liddell, 1852-1934
Description
Poem by Kiyomi Dong. 3 pages including poem, photocopy of a photograph, and artist's statement.
Creator
Dong, Kiyomi
Source
Box 4, Folder 3
Publisher
[host] University of Southern California. Libraries
Date
2008
Rights
Special Collections, Libraries, University of Southern California
Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Relation
[collection] G. Edward Cassady, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N. Lewis Carroll Collection
Format
1 poem, p. 1 of 3
Language
eng
Type
text
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
Alice
I.
You you so thin,
So delicate, Waiting,
Wanting to be
Held. I see your eyes
Delight in my stories.
I could tell you your truths.
I could imagine you
Your reality.
I I am convinced you
You are far wiser than
My doddering self.
Your bare shoulder
Gleams, winks, mocks.
Nothing is no longer
My fault
But a mistaken dream.
In my reality, I am three
Insignificant inches and I need
You to survive. Place me
In your dress pocket
Where I can finally breathe,
Where my voice is small
And you must bend your
Head to me like a flower
Opening in the sun. This close,
You can hear my tiny voice
Pleading, “Believe my stories.”
I grow dizzy as you forget
To listen, as you forget
Me. You run freely, bare
Feet, bare legs whirring
Like a watch wound
Too tight. I am still
In your pocket being thrown
Clinging for my life.
II.
I’m on the verge of virginity
Looking
Down
Down
Down
Over a precipice
No, a pit
Where the men await me
Their bodies covered
With war paint,
Loin cloths,
Holding spears,
And baring their teeth.
I think carefully before moving
Close to the edge,
My toes curling into the mud.
“Hello?” I call into the empty space.
My voice, stilted, does not echo
As his does through my head.
I can still hear his voice
Stammering and hot as he read,
Teasing my imagination.
I cannot stop it,
the monster he fed, from moving,
Moving like clockwork,
Painting lust where there is only
Belief.
Now, I cannot sleep at night
Because the shadows are
His characters and
I am forever his protagonist.
Indelible and damned.
I.
You you so thin,
So delicate, Waiting,
Wanting to be
Held. I see your eyes
Delight in my stories.
I could tell you your truths.
I could imagine you
Your reality.
I I am convinced you
You are far wiser than
My doddering self.
Your bare shoulder
Gleams, winks, mocks.
Nothing is no longer
My fault
But a mistaken dream.
In my reality, I am three
Insignificant inches and I need
You to survive. Place me
In your dress pocket
Where I can finally breathe,
Where my voice is small
And you must bend your
Head to me like a flower
Opening in the sun. This close,
You can hear my tiny voice
Pleading, “Believe my stories.”
I grow dizzy as you forget
To listen, as you forget
Me. You run freely, bare
Feet, bare legs whirring
Like a watch wound
Too tight. I am still
In your pocket being thrown
Clinging for my life.
II.
I’m on the verge of virginity
Looking
Down
Down
Down
Over a precipice
No, a pit
Where the men await me
Their bodies covered
With war paint,
Loin cloths,
Holding spears,
And baring their teeth.
I think carefully before moving
Close to the edge,
My toes curling into the mud.
“Hello?” I call into the empty space.
My voice, stilted, does not echo
As his does through my head.
I can still hear his voice
Stammering and hot as he read,
Teasing my imagination.
I cannot stop it,
the monster he fed, from moving,
Moving like clockwork,
Painting lust where there is only
Belief.
Now, I cannot sleep at night
Because the shadows are
His characters and
I am forever his protagonist.
Indelible and damned.
Original Format
text
Collection
Citation
Dong, Kiyomi, "Alice, 2008," in USC Libraries Exhibitions, Item #6, http://omeka.usclibraries.com/exhibits/show/wonderland/main/item/6 (accessed September 9, 2010).