Marina Bychkova

admiring the deconstruction
of old stories
intrigued by the new light
in which you show women
show how their lives
were not the fairy tales
they were projected to be
and that if you dig under the surface
you will find much sorrow 
behind the smiling facade
imposed by patriarchal storytelling

appalled by how
you cast them in the same
frame of beauty
as did the men
slim, (mostly) fair,
big eyes, pouty lips
perfectly rounded breasts
plenty of beautiful but
heavy, restricting jewellery

can we not see
the beauty of these women
in other frames?

#feminism is all about choice,
i suppose

i love you nonetheless, marina,
for the astounding beauty
and the fresh perspectives
of your work