Madonna's Hamartia

I learned about Hamartia
when I was studying Shakespeare

A tragic character is so
because she misses the mark

She does not follow her true course
Through some character defect

Which is not a judgment
It's what makes the story interesting

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I've had to examine
My own presuppositions about physical appearance

Since Father shaved his beard

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My whole life I have loved
the impulsive hair style, the statement shoes, the slash and burn approach to style

I learned something about myself
As I watched how other people reacted to me with a radical new look

I didn't really ever think about their experience of the change

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Naughty virgin, sex fiend, gauzy mother, aristocrat
Madonna's incarnations showed me new facets of womanhood

But then, somewhere along the way
Botox, Face Lift, Cheek Implants

They came just at the time
When I wanted to see her transformation the most

I wanted to know where she'd push
The boundaries of feminine identity

I think she missed the mark