{"seoTitle":"Grandiosity — A Poem About Performance, Aging, and Self-Mythology","seoDescription":"A poem about a woman who has built a lifetime of grandeur — and what remains when the body fades but the performance does not. By Pemba Umoja.","keywords":"grandiosity poem, aging poem, vanity poem, performance and identity poetry, contemplative poetry, Pemba Umoja poems","line1":"I was the fastest sprinter in my school,","line2":"had the highest grades.","line3":"","line4":"Did you ever see my father's car?","line5":"","line6":"Look at my handbag,","line7":"it is a real Gucci,","line8":"so soft but firm.","line9":"That's crocodile.","line10":"","line11":"I've been just about everywhere.","line12":"","line13":"Did I tell you that I was a personal friend of Mikhail Baryshnikov?","line14":"He was such a gentleman,","line15":"marvelous dancer too.","line16":"","line17":"Oh, and meet my dog,","line18":"Coco Chanel.","line19":"I just had her groomed.","line20":"Isn't she exquisite?","line21":"Yes, that is a pearl-studded collar.","line22":"","line23":"Fun fact,","line24":"not only do I speak Russian and French and English,","line25":"but I'm learning Italian and Chinese.","line26":"","line27":"Several years of cold gray winter,","line28":"illness,","line29":"old age,","line30":"walkers,","line31":"wheelchairs,","line32":"wigs.","line33":"","line34":"Her eyes were now covered by Prada glasses.","line35":"","line36":"My dear,","line37":"come here.","line38":"Did I ever tell you?","line39":"She beckoned with her perfectly manicured ruby red forefinger."}