Wow, Jasmine. 🥺 This is so powerful and beautifully written. I love how you show the pain that can be hiding, and how we can use pretty things to cover up what may be hurting deep down. 🤍
What stayed with me is the tension between what is visible and what remains hidden. Throughout the piece, clothing isn't merely clothing—it becomes a language of survival. The pressed collar, the tailored dress, the lipstick... each one quietly conceals a history that words alone cannot fully contain.
I was particularly moved by the line, "There is no scope, in the midst of hope." It captures that strange experience of trauma where time refuses to behave normally. The body remembers what the calendar insists is over, and yesterday continues to arrive disguised as today. That's an incredibly difficult feeling to express, and I think you do so with remarkable sensitivity.
And then the ending... "Lipstick will disguise the child left a long time ago." That line lingered with me. 💚 It suggests that adulthood isn't always an escape from childhood; sometimes it's simply another layer we learn to wear over it. There's a quiet heartbreak in that image that doesn't ask for sympathy—it simply asks to be witnessed.
I'm happily subscribing because I value writing that trusts imagery to carry emotional truth without ever overexplaining it. I also write at The Reflective State, where I'm often drawn to the hidden lives we carry beneath the versions of ourselves the world gets to see. If curiosity ever leads you there, I think The Implicit Behind the Explicit might resonate with this same gentle exploration of what lies beneath the surface, and I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts on it.
Thank you so much Siddhartha! I really appreciate the close read in deciphering the meaning. Your thoughtful response is much appreciated. Thanks also for subscribing. I will definitely check out your page soon!
That image of the dry-cleaned blazer covering shuddering arms is so painfully real. You captured the exhausting weight of dressing our deepest fears up as competence so beautifully ✨
Absolutely exquisite, Cynthia. 'Lipstick will disguise the child left a long time ago.'—that final line is a quiet, stunning punch to the gut. Thank you for putting such complex, fragile human emotions into such gorgeous, fragrant words.
The image that stays with me is the ironed pleats over the "beating, intense, fragile" thing underneath. It's not that the person is lying about who they are it's that presentation and pain have learned to share a body without ever meeting. That's the part people miss about composure: it isn't the absence of the wound, it's the wound's most convincing disguise. What gets me is the last line about lipstick and the child.
Grief doesn't ask to be seen so much as it waits to be recognized by someone who knows what pressed pants can hide. Sometimes the most honest thing a person can say is: I ironed this shirt so no one would ask.
This response was wonderful. Thank you for reading closely and putting so much thought into your reply! Your statement, "its the wound's most convincing disguise" nails my message!
The contrast between the jasmine and the hidden wound is striking. Everything is carefully pressed, tailored, composed—yet beneath that surface the body still remembers what the mind cannot simply revise.
“Fear that dresses as competence” is especially powerful. It names how survival can become so polished that others mistake it for strength.
And the final line is devastating: lipstick does not erase the child who was left behind. It only teaches the world not to see her.
Thank you Antonio for such a moving response! Your final statement "it only teaches the world not to see her" captured an extensive period of time in my life.
Thank you @TheEnlightenedWriter for sharing and subbing!
Thank you so much @Lesley Anne for sharing:)
Thanks @Aaliya for sharing!
Wow, Jasmine. 🥺 This is so powerful and beautifully written. I love how you show the pain that can be hiding, and how we can use pretty things to cover up what may be hurting deep down. 🤍
Thank you so much Steena💐💐
What stayed with me is the tension between what is visible and what remains hidden. Throughout the piece, clothing isn't merely clothing—it becomes a language of survival. The pressed collar, the tailored dress, the lipstick... each one quietly conceals a history that words alone cannot fully contain.
I was particularly moved by the line, "There is no scope, in the midst of hope." It captures that strange experience of trauma where time refuses to behave normally. The body remembers what the calendar insists is over, and yesterday continues to arrive disguised as today. That's an incredibly difficult feeling to express, and I think you do so with remarkable sensitivity.
And then the ending... "Lipstick will disguise the child left a long time ago." That line lingered with me. 💚 It suggests that adulthood isn't always an escape from childhood; sometimes it's simply another layer we learn to wear over it. There's a quiet heartbreak in that image that doesn't ask for sympathy—it simply asks to be witnessed.
I'm happily subscribing because I value writing that trusts imagery to carry emotional truth without ever overexplaining it. I also write at The Reflective State, where I'm often drawn to the hidden lives we carry beneath the versions of ourselves the world gets to see. If curiosity ever leads you there, I think The Implicit Behind the Explicit might resonate with this same gentle exploration of what lies beneath the surface, and I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts on it.
Thank you so much Siddhartha! I really appreciate the close read in deciphering the meaning. Your thoughtful response is much appreciated. Thanks also for subscribing. I will definitely check out your page soon!
This piece brought me so much pleasure and relaxation. It's so vivid and deeply impactful. 💕🌸🫶🏻 Thanks for writing this one.
Thank you so much Dua! I am so glad you enjoyed this one!
You're welcome. 🌷
💐
Perfectly dressed exhaustion that simply refuses to give up on hope.
“There is no scope, in the midst of hope.” Beauty x
You got it MoTy! I appreciate your take so much:)
That image of the dry-cleaned blazer covering shuddering arms is so painfully real. You captured the exhausting weight of dressing our deepest fears up as competence so beautifully ✨
Thank you so much Brandi! I appreciate your thoughtful read!
This is so good! So many great lines. Incredible and beautiful.
Awwww so grateful you enjoyed it! Hope all is well,Monica.
All is, Cynthia. Hope with you as well. 💖
The timelessness of bruises and wounds come across so well Cynthia.
Thank you so much Nabanita✨
Absolutely exquisite, Cynthia. 'Lipstick will disguise the child left a long time ago.'—that final line is a quiet, stunning punch to the gut. Thank you for putting such complex, fragile human emotions into such gorgeous, fragrant words.
Hi Jay, nice to connect! Thank you so much for reading and letting me know what resonated for you:)
You are a talented writer. I would love to help keep you visible.
Yes please! Thank you so much Jay. I appreciate your sentiment!
🤝🔥🌲 You’re very welcome! 🌲🪵🔥
Wonderful piece to start my day Jasmine, thank you! I wish you a wonderful day!
I am so glad, Nick! Have a great day!
Enjoyed your reading
Thank you so much for reading!
This is brilliant! Thank you for sharing. 👌💛
Thank you so much! Means alot!!!
The image that stays with me is the ironed pleats over the "beating, intense, fragile" thing underneath. It's not that the person is lying about who they are it's that presentation and pain have learned to share a body without ever meeting. That's the part people miss about composure: it isn't the absence of the wound, it's the wound's most convincing disguise. What gets me is the last line about lipstick and the child.
Grief doesn't ask to be seen so much as it waits to be recognized by someone who knows what pressed pants can hide. Sometimes the most honest thing a person can say is: I ironed this shirt so no one would ask.
This response was wonderful. Thank you for reading closely and putting so much thought into your reply! Your statement, "its the wound's most convincing disguise" nails my message!
The contrast between the jasmine and the hidden wound is striking. Everything is carefully pressed, tailored, composed—yet beneath that surface the body still remembers what the mind cannot simply revise.
“Fear that dresses as competence” is especially powerful. It names how survival can become so polished that others mistake it for strength.
And the final line is devastating: lipstick does not erase the child who was left behind. It only teaches the world not to see her.
Thank you Antonio for such a moving response! Your final statement "it only teaches the world not to see her" captured an extensive period of time in my life.