Barbie at Rest
Jane Attanucci
A little girl and her grandmother have taken me
where I've never been before.
They pose me in Downward Facing Dog,
Arm Balance and Head Stand.
Like many late middle-agers,
with stiff ankles, knees and hips,
I’ve danced and skated, skied and run,
over-trained, for sure. I’ve walked endless
runways in ridiculously high heels.
But when the girl stretches me out flat,
my back and legs settle into the wooden floor.
Tears flow down my cheeks, puddle in my ears.
I go where I’ve never been before--
Within.
where I've never been before.
They pose me in Downward Facing Dog,
Arm Balance and Head Stand.
Like many late middle-agers,
with stiff ankles, knees and hips,
I’ve danced and skated, skied and run,
over-trained, for sure. I’ve walked endless
runways in ridiculously high heels.
But when the girl stretches me out flat,
my back and legs settle into the wooden floor.
Tears flow down my cheeks, puddle in my ears.
I go where I’ve never been before--
Within.
Listen to Jane read the poem here:
Working notes
Inspiration for "Barbie at Rest" came while I was playing with my four-year-old granddaughter, Emma. My feminist roots date back to my work with Carol Gilligan, author of In A Different Voice. I couldn’t preach to Emma about Barbie’s unhealthy body ideal, her fashion obsessions and lack of her own voice. But, by bringing Barbie to life through yoga—she could make different choices, take classes to learn to care for her body, focus her attention on her breath and cultivate a spiritual life. To me, the yoga movement in the U.S., led primarily by women, is a new and promising feminism, an embodied revolution from the inside out.
About the author
Jane Attanucci spent her first career as a professor of psychology and women’s studies. Since retiring, she's studied with David Semanki at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Her work has appeared in a number of journals, including Blast Furnace, Boston Literary Magazine, The Healing Muse, Still Crazy, Third Wednesday, and TRIVIA: Voices of Feminism (Pre/Occupation issue). She lives with her husband in Cambridge, MA, close to her grandchildren.