Thursday, June 24, 2010

pantoum 36

for Los Angeles

You do not have to suffer for beauty
It's not true
A farce created by industry
Mean cheerleaders chant in unison

It's not true
that silver hair is ugly
Mean cheerleaders chant in unison
"Dye Job! Botox! GLITTER!"

"That silver hair is ugly"
she said it and you bought it
Dye job, Botox, glitter.
Glitter gets everywhere; I hate it

She said it, and you bought it
Now your face is a frozen mask in a dark bar
Glitter gets everywhere; I hate it
when careless hands toss glitter around the dance floor

Now your face is a frozen mask in a dark bar
stretched tight in fury
When careless hands toss glitter around the dance floor,
flashbulbs pop from your face for weeks

stretched tight in fury
Self-tanning lotion sets orange in creases
Flashbulbs pop from your face for weeks
The Lady says, "Don't move. You have glitter on your face"

Self-tanning lotion sets, orange in creases
Self-concious in the bank, you panic
The Lady says, "Don't move. You have glitter on your face"
Nobody knows it's on your butthole, too

Self-concious, in the bank you panic
everyone sees your glittering fake tan
Nobody knows it's on your butthole too
(both the glitter and the tan)

Everyone sees your glittering fake tan
the Botox, the dye job, the pinpricks
Both the glitter and the tan
fill the holes made by needles

The botox the dye job the pinpricks
they only make you smell older
Fill the holes made by needles
with botulism from a petri dish

They only make you smell older
A farce, created by industry
Fill the holes made by needles
You do not have to suffer for beauty

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Really first-rate poem.
first-rate writing.
a natural