Just a Toy? No. It's a Piece of Me. by Eneas G.

"Hello Kitty Virgin Mary" by Feliz Lucia Molina (2018)

egonzalez049 — 2024-12-06 00:33:35 UTC

"Hello Kitty Virgin Mary" is a poem about the nostalgic feeling the author has with the Sanrio characters. It discusses how her mother liked to go to mass and play bingo and how each time she went to play bingo, she would bring a Sanrio bag with her which carried the little she brought home from said games or the big wins. They were different types of items brought home but the one thing the author's mom always gave her was something that had Hello Kitty on there. I believe this contributes to my theme of toys being something more than just a play item for children because instead of it just being something the author likes, it's something she can associate with a nostalgic moment in her life that reminds her of her mother and the things her mom liked to do. It also mentions that while she and her mother lived in San Fernando, the "capital of porn", Hello Kitty lived in heaven and that indicates that these items with said characters, specifically Hello Kitty, remind her of a nice place like heaven, which takes her away from the true reality of life and where she's at.

"Barbie-Q" by Sandra Cisneros (1991)

egonzalez049 — 2024-12-06 00:41:52 UTC

Barbie-Q is a poem about the author recounting going to a flea market to get some more stuff for her Barbie. She talks how little money her and her family have through talking about the types of Barbies she has and that "we" have, which sound like they aren't the top-notch, brand new Barbies people tend to have. She then goes to the flea market to see if she can find anything for her Barbie and actually ends up finding many things including new potential clothes for her Barbie and even some friends such as Ken, Skipper, Francie, etc. The only catch to them is that they are damaged in some way due to a fire at the toy factory in which they came from. That doesn't matter to the poet as long as she gets to have them, that's all that matters. I chose this poem to be apart of my project because it shows that what may be considered damaged goods to one person, to someone else, especially people with very little money, it can be something amazing and something that brings good light to a dim life, in this case what the damaged Barbies and friends do for the author.

"The Dream of a Lacquer Box" by Kimiko Hahn (2012)

egonzalez049 — 2024-12-06 00:46:28 UTC

"The Dream of a Lacquer Box" is a poem about the feeling the author gets when thinking about this particular lacquer box. She discusses the many things it could possess such as a tortoiseshell hairpin she used to wear in her hair before cutting her hair, or things such as Hello Kitty stickers or candies, which can be seen as things she used to like growing up. It then switches to the real meaning behind the fascination of the box possibly being her feelings of missing her Mother and/or Sister, or the feeling of wanting to find something to leave for her daughters that has something to do with her Japanese culture. I chose this poem for my project because I feel it fits the theme of having something that is considered a toy to someone, the lacquer box in this case, that actually has a deeper meaning such as cultural meaning or something that is a reminder of someone special.

Curation Statement

egonzalez049 — 2024-12-06 00:47:24 UTC

Reflection Question

egonzalez049 — 2024-12-06 00:48:04 UTC

Toys are a staple in almost everyone's life. Everyone has had a certain thing they called a toy at some point in their lives, even if it was an item that seems to just be a typical thing such as pencils or erasers. While the usage of a toy is to entertain children, it can also be a powerful item used to teach and even help children relate to themselves and discover who they are. How did the poets show their usage of toys? Do they seem to see them as just tools for playing or for something else, something more important?