The Dolls

At twelve I was still

that blonde Polish doll

with the crown of flowers and ribbons,

the white lace apron, crimson beads

and the vest embroidered with jewels.

All day long I stood on the mantel

next to the Eskimo woman in furs

the Victorian in her burgundy gown

the geisha in her shining kimono.

Not one of us dared to move

and the hours rolled by like the heaviest stones.

But then, at last, the moment arrived

when the crystals cast rainbows over the walls

and sunset bathed the room in gold.

Night fell, and down we climbed

to take our places on the floor –

On our left, the brown velvet turtle awakened,

on our right, the bears – bride and groom

sat down to their cups of perpetual tea.

Then, the papier-mache owl arrived

bearing his gold violin

and at his first note, we all

became human; we even received human names –

The geisha Yukiji, the Victorian Sara,

the newlywed bears Jane and John

(while I, of course, was Janina).

And all night long, in rounds and rows

we whirled like marbles, like snowflakes, like stars.

But then, one night, my parents appeared

put my companions back in their places

and ordered me to bed.

The following day I was back on the shelf,

the owl was banished forever,

and from that night forward the lamps remained lit.

Since then, the hours roll on like boulders.

Since then, we do not dare to move.

And here on our shelf, in silence we wait

for that blissful moment when darkness will fall

when the dance will begin once again.

—jeannine m. pitas

HOW TO GET YOUR POETRY IN ARTVOICE: Literary Buffalo occasionally features poetry by local writers. The poetry editor is Florine Melnyk. Submissions of no more than five poems and no more than 10 pages in length can be sent by e-mail to florine@starcherone.com or by mail to Florine Melnyk, Poetry Editor, Artvoice, 810 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14202 Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope to have manuscripts returned.