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 Palm Springs, California on May 20, 2020:

Beautiful ode to one of my favorites.