i.
Botanically: as the blushing rose named
for her, vivisected into light-shy
petals. On the flower
-laced continuum of taxonomy
we scatter her somewhere between
inanimate object and heroine.
ii.
Linguistically: we assign her the word
“devoted” and move on to Romeo.
But shouldn’t we stop and debate if she, too,
can be strong? Debate if women can be
workers
breadwinners?
Only 2 women debate in parliament.
iii.
Mathematically: equate her relationships. Love
is the product of physical beauty. Is this
why my friends starve themselves?
Strawberry juice
is the colour of botched
skin after plastic surgery, blood
seeping through Botoxed smiles.
iv.
Artistically: paint her pale skinned, baby-
curled, trailing damask. We hand her
a button
for modesty. Then criticize her
for her short skirts, hot pink
binders and crop tops.
v.
Astronomically: hold our hands against the same
constellations Juliet
looked up to when Romeo left her lost
and alone. We watch the moon wax and
wane, looking for a line of best fit
through this
star-crossed path.
Amanda Lee Siu Ching is from Singapore. Amanda is a student at Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) and a Creative Arts Programme mentee. Her work has been recognised by the Torrance Legacy Creative Writing Awards and appeared in TeenInk.