ONE-EYED JACK'S
"moving near the edge at night" Julee Cruise
When the border has been crossed
& the roulette wheel has been spun so many times
& the red velvet curtains have been torn open--
L. can sometimes be found
gambling with the periphery;
half-numb / half-raw,
fondling another pill.
'Here pussy, pussy, pussy...'
And she slinks over
with her smooth white flesh.
With her smooth white marble kitty mask.
With her riding crop flicking like a piece of tail.
'Here foxy, foxy, foxy...'
And the madam gallivants out
with her black-seamed stockings.
With her dangling maraschino cherries.
With her tray of petite needles.
Red & black ants invade
the sugar bowl. Madam wants to play
a game of checkered pasts.
A catty show of punishment
doled out by small syringe.
Blackie, Blackie, Blackie
rides the white horse.
She gives her henchman a shot,
then a whole line of glossy cherries
to pick one / lick one / prick one.
Red & black Queens of Hearts compete.
L. takes on the role of a sweet taboo
Scheherazade who uses her body
instead of words. She knows that none of them will listen
unless she arches and curves. Purrs perverse flirtations
half-dreamland / half-nightmare world.
Her half-red-lipped / half-black-lipped
doppelganger is a playing card
pinned to her own chest.
What happened to the girl
who smiled behind the perfumery?
She's lost in the shirring;
choking on red velvet