Russian Dolls
i was completely infatuated with babushka dolls as a girl.
Babushkas Royal Arcade Melbourne
by Helen Chierego
Russian Dolls belongs to the following groups:
Graphic Scratch and WMGI wonder if it was
my painted curls
or lacquered lips
or maple skin
that first
grabbed your attention
Or was it simply
the golden lure
of getting close enough
to pull me apart
to see
what was inside
that kept you
hovering
running your index finger
up my arm
So you could learn
this version
and that version
of me
Dolly awake
Dolly asleep
Dolly at play
at life
at love
hungry
and wild
for wholesome
for wholehearted
wholly
Did you want to open me
again
and
again
and again
just to know
you’d been able to
just to know
you’d been the one
to see the smallest parts of me
all the parts of me
unraveled
unpacked
in a row
Because
that’s what everyone wants
sooner
or later
to unpack me
over
and again
desperate to know
what’s inside
what’s underneath
the colour
the painted eyes
the gloss
never
really
wanting anything but
their favourite pieces
instead of wanting
to know
me
whole.
copyright © 2008, Holly Ringland.
PJ Ryan
oh girl .. this is so incredibly raw and beautiful .. just exquisite!
Such a brilliant metaphor .. xx
Holly Ringland replied
thank you my lovely, thank you xx
aglaia b
lovely, love the flow and the ending most. they are gorgeous dolls and very popular with kids and adults alike.
here is one for you holly! ;-) xox
Holly Ringland replied
oh i’m so pleased you do aglaia… i have quite the collection of nestled little dolls and have always found them so enchanting.
I LOVE THE PIC! Instant favourite… you just knew :) thank you m’dear xx
PJ Ryan
oops, i have to add … i had a cat once called Babs .. and that derived from Babushka because she was a russian blue ..
so there ya go my tea room friend xx
Holly Ringland replied
another ‘the sky’s not falling down’ to add to our tally, hey nixie? :) xx
dirtman
My daughter is currently infatuated with her ‘Russia dolls’, so this caught my eye. But I see it’s perhaps about the experience of being unpacked rather than accepted, and I think the tension between being flattered that someone wants to take such a minute interest in oneself, and being disappointed that one’s whole is not as compelling to that person as the sum of one’s parts. Very thought-provoking.
Holly Ringland replied
thank you so much for this comment dirtman, i am always so fascinated to learn how people interpret my writing and what they pull from it. i have wanted to write a piece about russian dolls for a while, fascinated with the idea of nested selves, packed from little to big, version after version on top of how pretty and beautiful i thought they were as a girl – the idea of being unraveled is how it panned out. i’m pleased you enjoyed it and i thank you so much for your constructive feedback, it is highly valued.
Lisa Jewell
Brilliant…........on so many levels. Makes a person wonder which babushka doll is cherished most….and I could go on about this….
but shall leave it as….this is really profound and I love it…..
Holly Ringland replied
oh your beautiful words lisa. when i was a girl travelling with my parents, my mother bought me a set of babushka dolls in alaska. i spent hours of our road-tripping pulling them apart and putting them back together, just not being able to choose how i liked them best, which way i cherished them most… unpacked or whole? so i totally relate to your ponderings and this slipped straight into my heart and made me smile: and i could go on about this… but shall leave it as… thank you very much for reading and leaving your lovely words like ‘brilliant’ and ‘profound’ behind here. i’m so tickled that you enjoyed this.
Helen Chierego
Love your poem. Evokes the feeling of going down to very deep interior layers of the ‘self’. the dolls are a great source of imagery in your poem. Those fascinating dolls and their multi-layers…just like us really! Yes, It matches my image of Babushkas in Royal Arcade in Melbourne. Thank you for comment. Cheers Helen
Holly Ringland replied
thank you so much helen, i love your image here next to my words, of all the beautiful little babushkas unpacked in a line, on display and exposed. and i can’t stop smiling at how great it is to see this next to your fabulous work. thank you :)
natapee
brilliant metaphor, this makes so much sense to me, I’m going back to the beginning right now. Oh and I love Babushka dolls too, I really must purchase my own! x
Holly Ringland replied
you really should darling, but beware… all those little babushkas are addictive :)
Hayley Cafarella
awesome! this is really clever and entrancing :)
Holly Ringland replied
goodness rella, ‘entrancing’? thank you so much. i’m so pleased you enjoyed this.
natapee
but what a good addiction to have!
Philosophy Lee
I Love personification.
Wonderful! :)
Holly Ringland replied
thank you so much :)