Poisoned Apples - eat them

Poetry is one of those things that I never seek out, yet usually enjoy when it's foisted upon me.

Christine Hepperman's Poisoned Apples was one such collection of poetry, and I think it might be the second poetry book I actually buy (the first was a collection of Baudelaire, in case you were wondering).

You may recall how much I ended up liking Far Far Away, a modern fairytale. You may, if you know me a little better, know that I've become a bit mouthier about feminism in recent years, and less amused about winding up with the short end of the "Bitches be crazy" stick.

You may, perhaps, also feel this way about feminism and creepy fairy tales, and if so, you may just enjoy Poisoned Apples, all the way from the curl of your hair to the tips of your witchy toes.

The poems in Poisoned Apples are exactly that -- poisonous. We people -- both women and men -- experience poison in our (North American, first world, somewhat puritanical) society. We have poisonous ideas about how we should treat each other, how we should look or act or dress, and Poisoned Apples addresses these ills. The author says in her note that in her mind, reality and fairy tales blend together. We are all the heros and heroines of our own lives, after all, and sometimes the pain and sadness in our lives is so fantastic, it takes a fantastic, fairytale style to express it accurately.

A great majority of Hepperman's poems have to do with self-image, addressing anorexia, beauty, perfection, and existing as an object to be gazed upon and judged by others (and in the magic mirror, by yourself).

She isn't offering solutions, or stories where everything turns out alright.

She's illustrating the fantastic horror that is existing as a young woman, and doing so in the style that is most appropriate. Short, pithy, and almost cruel in snark, but always, always true.

I appreciate that truth in my poetry. I think a lot of young women, younger than myself, those who are currently living through those difficult teenage times, would appreciate it even more.