Once I saw Victory
I never wanted to be Barbie again.
The plastic legs that can’t move
the stagnant pigment of her skin.
The blonde hair and pink lips
huge breasts and lack of hips,
the constantly pointed feet
that imply heels five inches high,
those vacant blue eyes and
don’t forget
a smile to suggest she never cries.
I buried my Barbies in the backyard at ten
and never went back again.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
stood on a cliff side
in a victorious stride
to commemorate a naval battle so
incoming ships would be rattled,
warning enemies nearing her port
her people weren’t ones to thwart.
Her marble body at the stern of a ship
no hands, no grip,
firm footing, no slip,
beautiful from realistic hip to hip,
and that’s just the way she stood,
for people in the neighborhood,
and until her message was understood.
Victory stood in a way I knew I could.
I look at her and think,
“When did women stop being Gods?”
Like against all odds
we became nothing but mounds of flesh
and flaws
We decided not to utilize,
vitalize, or interpret vital signs - because at times-
we brutalize, dehumanize, scrutinize,
often times to suicide
and the survivors, in my eyes
are left to simply compromise.
Take comfort in the repetitive line
“Things will get better, give it time”
For Victory
there is no consideration
of the devalued proclamation
written in cat calls and times stagnation
that’s the female damnation
that runs rampant through our nation.
It starts in the first glance
of her strong stance
the battles long ago won romance
because freedom is not worth
being left to chance.
Stepping forward, onward, outward,
as if no societal slurs are overheard
and this thing called sexism never occurred
because I don’t think anyone ever told her,
“You celebrate winning naval battles
like a girl.”
For Victory
there is no indignity
in the robe falling from her knee
not a sure sign of indecency
because this is what it means to be free
-naturally.
Her robe cascading like waves into the floor,
yet I know there’s nothing that she’s
“Asking for”
because you could call her a cheap score
or an easy whore
but you never looked for more
or went beyond that nearest shore.
So if she is saying something,
she’s not asking for anything
it’s your problem if she’s “tempting.”
She can hold the world
from wing to wing
because we all know it’s too heavy
for a string.
For Victory nothing is limited
and I think it’s time that mindset is distributed.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace has no head
no dread on what’s said,
not mislead or misread
just a vision of possibilities
and wings spread.
She’s what’s missing in todays miss-representation
and inspires miss-behaving
because it’s time to become
Miss communication;
No revolution is silent.
While we maybe miles away from
women asking for permission
I still wonder if this is a remission.
Because if it’s me or him,
I’m paid less
and it’s my fault
if I’m raped for how I’m dressed.
Female is the negative to positive male
yet women used to be goddess
on a massive scale
So I refuse-
to let time be an excuse
for my gender’s blind abuse
We have this moment to decide how
history is done,
because she has no head
the goddess of victory,
can be anyone.
I don’t have even a moment
to consider being limited, weak, or
worry about the societal constraints of femininity.
I’m busy sculpting the marble in me.
I buried my Barbie’s and what society says
and stopped to think how I’m being lead.
You grow this body,
you know this body
and nobody but you can own
this body.
So you can be quite, wait and sit
or you can get your ass up and do something with it.
Despite those who reside in complacency,
I’m not one to let a white flag fly free
when I know there’s more fight left in me.
I can’t be the only one with a goddess in me,
and I am so sick with passivity.
And maybe this time, someone will hear me.
“I am the marble for female rights
and unfraid of cliffside heights.
The battle ends with me
there is no rest
for Victory.”
Kelcie Scott is an author in Denver, Colorado. She's currently working on getting her first book published, Arcadia or Bust. She has always felt passionate about women's rights and female leadership. For Victory is her love letter to feminism and her favorite statue, The Winged Victory of Samothrace. To learn more about Kindling, her first book, and writing, please visit www.kjkindling.com.