(The Blessings of George Costanza)
Draped in velvet, the petite wallflower emerges
fresh, from a diner, ready for a summer of love:
the true self blooms with all to gain and nothing to lose.
Now is the time to indulge in a decade of urges.
Disable the angst, just like flicking a switch
to will hush the chorus of doubt within:
acting as a binary shadow-self is to see
your life become all it was meant to be.
This is no lie if you believe it, spin your stories
as truths stronger than antlers where your velvet hangs.
Loosen your mind of its vice-grip, untether
yourself from the edge of acceptability.
The vestal virgin is now free! Roam the electric streets
and stoke your own fire, live for your own pleasure.
About Audrey El-Osta
Audrey El-Osta is a Melbourne-based writer, studying Linguistics and Psychology at Monash University. A collector of cookbooks, listener of audiobooks and reader of poetry, she lives with four cats and three humans that don’t quite measure up. Her work explores themes of femininity, sexuality and womanhood, mental illness, comedy and identity. Published extensively locally, internationally and in between, she aims to release a full collection of poetry before her honours year.
