Hi, MaryAnn, You probably remember that I have posted some poems by Ponsot. I am rather enamored by her use of forms such as the villanelle and tritina, but I can't detect much form to this piece.

I think waltz makes a good point when she says it's too wordy. There's nothing wrong with a long poem, but the words here fall a little flat.

But you also make a good point when you say Ponsot has captured how a teen might talk. In fact, the one little phrase, "having hips" (as in, if I only had hips) is so great. It's just like a young girl to want to look better, mature faster, focus on other girls' looks and brood waaaay too much on what she sees as her own fatal physical flaws.

In fact, without knowing a date on the poem, I would still place it firmly in the 20th century. Nowadays girls would be "obsessing" on their YouTube videos and text messaging BFFs. The whole day at the beach seems achingly innocent.