The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Thu 9/14/06)

[RetroLounge]

Achtung, My Princess, Good Night

Arrivederci, Cinderella, your goose is cooked, grilled,
burned to be precise, blistered, while you, nestled in your

crumbling necropolis of love, think, who am I?
Delores del Rio? No, nothing so déclassé, yet

even your mice have deserted you, little pipsqueaks,
fled to serve your stepsisters, dedicated now to

good works, a soup kitchen, if you can imagine. What is this
heresy of ugliness that has overtaken the world?

I am Beauty, you scream. Wrong fairy tale, and
just so you don't forget, size sixes are not enough in this

karaoke culture, and even here you have to do more than
lip sync "Begin the Beguine," "My Funny Valentine,"

"Mona Lisa," "Satisfaction," because you can't get no,
no, no, no, consummation, so to speak. Sex is kaput,

over, married a decade, three litters of neurasthenic
princes, your figure shot, not to mention your vagina. Don't

quote me on that you cry, my public can't bear very much
reality. Who can? Yet there it is staring you in the face.

Scram, vamoose, la cucaracha, cha cha cha. Admit it, you're
tired of this creepy pedestal, the pressed pleats,

undercooked chicken, Prince Embonpoint and his cheesy
Virna Lisi look-alike mistress with her torpedo chest. Auf

Wiedersehen to this stinking fairy-tale life, this pack-rat
Xanadu built on the decomposing carcasses of girlish hope.

Yes, all your best friends, all your gorgeous diamonds are cubic
zirconias, but flashing like the real thing, as if you'd know.

Barbara Hamby

*******************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[miss_american_pie]

1. ...

Gretel

A woman is born to this:
sift, measure, mix, roll thin.

She learns the dough until
it folds into her skin and there is

no difference. Much later
she tries to lose it. Makes bets

with herself and wins enough
to keep trying. One day she begins

that long walk in unfamiliar woods.
She means to lose everything

she is. She empties her dark pockets,
dropping enough crumbs

to feed all the men who have ever
touched her or wished.

When she reaches the clearing
she is almost transparent—

so thin
the old woman in the house seizes

only the brother. You know the rest:
She won’t escape that oven. She’ll eat

the crumbs meant for him, remember
something of his touch, reach

for the sifter and the cup.

---Andrea Hollander Budy

[RetroLounge]

2. Very nice...

Will save this for a future thread! :D

:hi:

RL

[redqueen]

6. Gah...

first the OP, then this...

wow

[wildhorses]

3. with a vengeance

she doth rip apart
her childhood fantasy
for what were once diamonds
now appear to be
cubic zirconias
for her to see

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

9. ...

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Good morning, my dear RetroLounge!

OUCH!

Sounds like the end of romance to me..........:cry:

Quite a series of jarring images......

But a cool way to wake up today!

Thanks......


:hi:

:hug:

[Callalily]

5. Sounds like a lot

of vindictiveness going on in that poem. :cry:

:hi: :hug:

[RetroLounge]

7. And as a poetry geek, i must point out

you should read the first letter of each line from top to bottom...

RL

[wildhorses]

8. now I said my ABC's

cool!!