The Original Narcissist

[Lizzie]

Life doesn't mind my self-concern.
I became its golden girl when I
pushed past the last potentials, stealing
existence from my brother, my sister.
Life values nothing but its own continuation,
and I have borne a child.

(first title was, Like Mother, Like Daughter)
(second title was, Life, the Original Narcissist)

I don't think "healthy narcissism" exists. When narcissism becomes healthy, it ceases to become "narcissism" by the usual definition, instead transforming into, at its most base, self-preservation, and at its highest form, righteous self-love, the feeling that God loves you, that all the world is contained in you. Which is why I still don't think the title is effective: the first title was redundant, the second title put life in a wholly negative light (again, the first sentence), and the third just transfers that wholly negative light to some aspect of the poem, most likely the speaker, a light made harsher by the compounding of "original" and "narcissist". But if you do fail in finding a better title, the first one, at least, isn't intrusive.

As for the rest of the poem, very layered, and very lovely. I would suggest putting the original titles in spoilers, though, since this is a short post, and bias is easily introduced. Although I can't see bias being especially destructive here. And as for my read, the most concrete layer I see is a daughter (the speaker) becoming her mother's favorite because of her newborn child, and all the emotions that produces.

What I mean is more like Freud's "primary narcissism."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of...narcissism