The Blackness inside Beauty

This piece was inspired by a photo of Elizabeth “Beth” Short, better known as The Black Dahlia.

Beauty by definition is something that has the combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense, but I believe that it has many sides to it. Beauty can also have the combination of qualities that ignites and stirs things in someone that drives them to dislike or hate such a thing. When did beauty ONLY appeal to the eye? When did that appeal strike a chord that was something other than good? The idea that beauty is a feeling is discredited by those whose aesthetic experience testifies that beauty is an objective; an object; something to be owned.

By nature, there are the types of people who destroy beauty when they find it. These people are petty and jealous, as they envy what they lack, and because they don’t know how to acquire something, they try to destroy anyone who has it. Beauty is one of those things they hate most in others. Unable to comprehend how someone can destroy an image of beauty whether it’s in feeling or objectiveness, beauty is something supposed to be admired and protected, yet it is still the one thing that’s been misunderstood.

There have been occurrences where because of one’s own possession of beauty it has caused them harm or even death. Wallace Stevens immortalizes this as he writes, “Death is the Mother of Beauty; hence from Her, alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams and our desires”. What exactly does this mean? Does one must die because beauty is their dream or desire? Or is it at the hand of someone else, which dreams and desires the possession of someone else’s beauty?

True or false; at the heart of all beauty lies something inhuman? Not a question to really be answered, more or less explored. How can anything inhuman have a heart or even comprehend beauty? It’s come to be known that beauty brings out the monster that is truly hidden beneath it, which makes beauty in itself blemished and imperfect. Why call it beauty? How does it appeal now?

For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror which we are barely able to endure, and it amazes us so, because it’s sincerely disdains to destroy us… Is this your terror? Your beauty is your own killer? Does this still appeal to amazes us all so?

Expression

John Jakes captures the way I see myself thru words, and inevitably the way that I live thru words, but just this little piece;


“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish”.

No matter what it is, or what has happened, this is where I come to. I write. The one place that I do not hold back, and just let everything go. Some may not understand my style of writing, and may not understand in a whole what each piece is about, but if you can just take away the written word and read it better with open eyes, mind and heart, you will truly begin to understand.

I don’t try to fit to someone else’s idea of how things should be written or expressed. Why should anyone? Yet, I see this happen every day. If there is ever one thing that gives someone insight to who you are, let it be the one thing that you took the time to write, think about and create. It is something that you have crafted, be proud to express yourself and believe in what you write. If it came from the heart, let it show. If it came from a place with hurt, let it hurt! If it came from a place covered in grace, share it. Put your heart into it, the beginning pieces are there, just pull them together and make yourself heard.

Do not be afraid to take a stand and let yourself be known by the way you write and what you write about.

I know that without a doubt I am going to be what I set out to be, and write about whatever comes to me, at the time that it does. It upsets me knowing that people have to hide behind conformity when it comes to self expression. That in itself goes way beyond just writing, it’s the outward expression of who we are.

I am not sure where this really came from. Its started out as something different, and I am again not sure how it evolved into this. I guess this is just what I feel when I write and take the time to look around and think about how and what I write.