Living Life on the Edge Bette Davis Style
Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 12 years.
Ready to grab that pesky bull by its stubborn horns
And fight hard in order to stay on it long enough
To last and break a new record of sorts
Determined to not let life, or that animal, kick too hard
Eager to fight back against the tides that threaten to drown
Everything in its path and defeat the once strong willed
Not be defined by appearance or a regularly sunny disposition
Have a witty repertoire with an attractive stranger
And not feel a single ounce of guilt over being so brazen
Rebelling against the confines of what a woman should be
How they needed to dress or even act like in public
Bette Davis defined convention as a star in Hollywood's Golden Age
She gave an intensity and focus to all her performances
Managed to melt the screen with a look and never uttering a word
Expressed it all as characters seemingly pushed too far
By timing and circumstances often beyond their control
Always deemed talented; never desirable enough to conventional masses
Unfair qualification and label for women who can be more than a sex kitten
Double edged sword for them as well it seems
Given the career stereotype of being nothing more than a pretty face
Seemed unfair to be pigeonholed into a role or image
Stuck to it like glue and unable to rip off that pesky band aid
Talent and substance came in all forms
Shame that society only looked at the surface matters
To base their narrow opinions on
Ready to be more than just an image in a magazine
Weigh a certain amount on the scale
Told how to walk, talk and chew gum while acting like a lady
What a load of malarkey
Desperate to break through the binds of a conventional existence
Prepared to stand on the same solitary two feet
The man upstairs gave me to walk through the toughest terrain
Working up the courage to live life with the same vigor rebels like Bette Davis did
Sure, life can be lonely sometimes
Best to stick with other misfits who share the same plight
Better to understand what your lot in life is
Standing united against the rules and lasting longer as a group
Time to show the world what this gal is made of.
Comments
Mark Tulin from Ventura, California on May 20, 2020:
Beautiful ode to one of my favorites.