Afterward for “If I Only Had a Brain” by Sher Schwartz (historic information comes the Smithsonian Associate seminar The History of Barbie presented by historian Leslie Goddard 2023.)
If I Only Had a Brain
Barbie has started to write poetry.
For her, time seems to be standing still.
She believes in life on distant planets.
The people might look like her.
She can see plenty outside her window.
She imagines the universe is much larger
than the house she lives in. She imagines
dinosaurs roaming about in her back yard.
The thought of black holes terrifies her.
She doesn’t believe in ghosts, witches or vampires.
She is more concerned with dust bunnies
and the half-life of plastic.
Barbie believes in surrealism, rain, and bitcoins.
Before writing a poem, Barbie thinks for an hour.
Since time is illusory she may be thinking
longer than she realizes.
Fashion is what she thinks about mostly—
stilettos, tulle, polyester and pencil skirts.
It would be wonderful to get an MFA in poetry
but where could she teach?
Most people don’t take her seriously.
Last week someone told her that her eyes
are as blue as a Caribbean lagoon.
That would be a great first line in a poem.
Barbie is a millennial. Once, she read a funny poem
about empathic animals and a tragic one
about a toy ballerina and a lead soldier.
She decides to write an imagist poem.
Small buds unfurling into tiny hands press my window.
The poem isn’t working yet but that’s life.
Ken doesn’t talk to her about her poem.
Maybe he can’t read.
Sher Poetry 
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