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She Breaks Your Purpose – Annie Peter

By March 27, 2023Poetry4 min read

Meet Annie Peter

Enter the world of Annie Peter, a wordsmith and spoken word artist, who calls the vibrant city of Dublin her home. Her performances are nothing short of a sensory explosion, as she masterfully weaves together poetry, music, rhythm, and free movements to create an unforgettable experience.

In the summer of 2022, she graced the stage of the illustrious Electric Picnic Festival as part of Circle Sessions, captivating the audience with her mesmerizing spoken word. She has now established herself as a headliner, having recently hosted her own sold-out show, “Poetry & Beats”, under her banner.

Annie’s creative vision transcends the boundaries of traditional poetry, as she transforms her words into a living, breathing entity that engages and enthralls her audience. Come, take a journey with her as she invites you to explore the uncharted territories of spoken word artistry.

BEHIND THE POEM

“She Breaks Your Purpose is a poem about the female experience in society, reclaiming the narrative of the woman as a “fragile flower” and rewriting her as a thistle, a tree, a forest. She’s a forest, because the force of female nature has roots so ancient, deep, and manifold, it surpasses the circumstantial power dynamics which manifest and change over different eras.
Today’s daughter will break through the hardships laid on her. In the process, she will shatter your self-image, challenge your worldview, and rethink any belief system.
Even if she thinks herself unlovable, “a weed you keep pulling from your spleen,” it doesn’t compromise her person or her power. She will grow and prosper, nonetheless.
She Breaks You Purpose touches on biblical and literary themes. The speaker of the poem hints at Baudelaire’s fleurs du mal and claims Nabokov’s “tangle of thorns” from the abusive protagonist in the novel Lolita. But as she claims this crown of suffering, she refuses to be worn. A burden is only a burden if it weighs down on someone. Difficulties of leading a healthy relationship shine through in between the lines. This might cause frustration and heartache, but what is its relevance, exactly, in the bigger picture?
In the end, our lives’ narrative unravels, whether it’s predetermined or not.”
Marta @fotoholix.photography

Annie Peter | Poet | Ireland.

Follow Annie’s work here

She Breaks Your Purpose

Daughter is a budding plant
buried under the weight of this damaged land
Before she breaks you, before she breaks through
Her thorns and leaves touch the sky, but never you

With her slender body she lifts the whole world
She breaks through the surface, breaks your pretence and purpose
And meanwhile she prospers so high, her petals are touching the sky
All growth goes unnoticed until the beauty of the flower draws the eye

Can’t look away now, can you?
Can’t fell a tree that’s a forest
Neither can I
Its deep rooted force draws the eye

The story unfolds
but who even wrote it?
Nobody knows

I’m a tangle of thorns
never worn
I was poison ivy long before I was born

I’m a weed you keep pulling from your spleen
but your garden is still far from clean
You said “clean slate” – ?
I’m someone’s daughter! Lover, someone’s got-away-can’t-have-her
and will always be your mistake

I’m the thistle with sharp edges that cuts through your pretence
What’s your defence?
You laugh at rape jokes
I only laugh at those when I make them
but never at yours

When you saw me leaving,
did you think I had a place to go?
Oh, don’t you worry about me —
I have the whole goddamn world to walk over and more

My branches are scratching the sky
I want to unify
my broken past, my healing process, and I

Past me is a budding plant
buried deep in this messed up land

daughter, she, who, other
girlfriend, ex-lover
Before she breaks you, before she breaks through
her thorns and leaves touch the sky, touch the light
but never you or your meagre disguise

Can’t fell a tree that’s a forest
She breaks your pretence and purpose
Can’t hack the roots deep underneath, and neither can I
All growth goes unnoticed until the beauty of the flower draws the eye

I’m a tangle of thorns —
never worn
I was the ivy of evil long before I was born

The story unfolds
but who even wrote it?
Nobody knows

Void Magazines Publish Details

Written by: Robert Byrne @robvoidrob

Produced by: Voidmagazines @voidmagazines

Original Images Captured by: Marta @fotoholix.photography

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