I am in ARTHI 4562-001: The Shape of Contemp Dress of SAIC. This poem was inspired by a Vietnamese proverb that I wanted to prove wrong, that the body and its clothing are equal to each other, both elevating the other’s beauty instead of diminishing it.
A poem dedicated to the Vietnamese proverb: Người Đẹp Vì Lụa. Directly translated to “The body beautied by silk.”
The body made prettied by fiber,
Was what they used to describe her.
Skin of milk, belonged to their ilk
Curves that are fit for a wonder.
“Yet nothing but cheapness without the sweetness
When her skin is carried by silk!”
So from neck to toe, let nothing be shown
With the finest dress that’s sewn,
Its tight, its breathless and make her groan
“Let my skin be free from silk!”
Her beauty is hers, the fiber as its
With cuts and slashes and slits and in bits
Until the silk has fitted
The body made prettied by fiber.
And in return the tulle is made a new
And made prettier by her.
Based on the Vietnamese proverb: “Người Đẹp Vì Lụa”