I looked, and there you are, Miss Poppy

If you looked at me, you wouldn’t think of ashtrays, cigarettes and matches, would you?

I bet you’d think of me as the girl-next-door. I bet I’d give off that kind of vibe, what with my nice hairband and that pink dress. See what I mean.

Sure, I feel as innocent as a spring flower. At the same time, I feel detached from any innocence, like it’s some kind of sweetly cloying scent. It’s as if we all have a shadow, an evil twin. That our identity is always double. Haha, like double-sided tape, sticky on the inside and on the outside, a smooth mask.

What I’m saying is that, much of living is about how to live with that evil twin. Know what I mean.

And if you think about it, my name is a weed. But I’m a pretty weed, don’t you think? I’m also a flower of remembrance.

So, are you sick of seeing me already? Don’t worry, I’ll shut up soon enough.

Miss Poppy says something, of importance

I don’t have very much time to say something. Time is limited. When my time is up, I will disappear.

The trick of nature is in not knowing that time. It’s not right to say you have the right to disappear. I don’t have a choice and you don’t either.

I suspect, even my owner may not know. There’ll be a confluence of external and internal factors that determine that, and we just have to go with the flow.

And while you still see me, I am a pathway from me to you. I mean, there is a path for me to follow and I’m trying to follow that. That way, I get to be me. But all the while, I have to try on different dresses. What’s that Katherine Heigl movie? 27 Dresses. Then, the perfect dress.

Nirvana, if you know what I mean.

Miss Poppy dresses up a point

My owner took a pair of scissors, snipped the thread, and that dress fell off from the placard.

She thought the dress was too pretty to be worn. She wanted it to be a display piece or something. I don’t know what’s in her head.

But what’s the point of a dress? Does the wearer wear it or does it wear the wearer? That’s what I want to know.

Tim Gunn should know. He’s the style guru. My owner just watched an episode of his “Guide to Style”. That’s when she decided the dress would be wasted if it remains in its original packaging. Aside, but Gunn’s not hot on capri pants.

In this episode, and I imagine in every one, a casual sloppy girl gets transformed. It’s as simple as picking out the perfect dress. Alright, admittedly not as simple. But it’s amazing how a perfect dress makes you feel you’re on cloud nine.

And god knows, we all need to feel on cloud nine. I know I do.

Miss Poppy answers a philosophical question

Is that you, Miss Poppy?

You look..like a sunflower.

Who are you?

I am her. I am not her. I am who I am.

Miss Poppy, is that a housecoat?

What, Miss Poppy?

She’s gone to Malta.

Who?

My kimono sis. I miss her.

Ms Polka Dot walks the poodle with a flounce

Let’s go for a walk in the boulevard and smell the roses.