Russian Dolls

By Elisa Mirto

her elaborate beauty caught

my eye, I whisked her away

from the charity shop to home

handmade, a deep earthy scent

carved from wood with intricate gold

brushstrokes sweeping over her complexity

magic kaleidoscopic waves outlining

their performative, prescribed dress

changing colour catching the light

seven layers of wonder delicately decorated

smaller and smaller each time transformed

shining, changing replicas

a reminder of who she has been

unified beneath her colossal exterior

she has housed, rebuilt and tended

all of her selves, kicking and screaming

who she has fought to become

and is still becoming