Original artwork by T. Blake
pencil in the image of a dancing lady
dress melted down like tobacco, a hit of
vintage perfume and a smooth gathering of
chiffon at the ankles, this will
be her scene
enter: a cat with a cool strut
his groove is loose like silver, a
cabaret like a one-man masquerade
and the room’s a brass balloon, the
soft matrix of an iron corset like the doors
to a kingdom untethered at its hinges
stage left: some girls in tops hats
the first olive in a dry martini
a turntable resting precariously
on the naked edge of a spider’s web
Mick Jagger, dinner forks, and small talk
bobbing for hors d’ouvres like candy apples
please allow me to introduce myself
(in a voice that doesn’t feel altogether human)
ladies and gentlemen, on this night that’s
young and full of disguises at the house of
Madam Mannequin’s Masquerade
where every face is a false mirror
and each reflection a harbinger of truth
somewhere between your innermost
self and a lie, you’ll learn everything
that exists is in a state of unnatural combination
*flings off her boa and loosens a patron’s necktie*
and that tension is the great driver of all progress
and selfish inaction *feeds him a cocktail shrimp and
blows his wife a kiss*
we drink all our desires from an
impossible mouth, she says, her
backup dancers twirling to the beat of
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, we’re each our
selves and another and if you don’t learn to
have sympathy for the devil he’ll destroy
you just the same *raises up her shot glass and
crowdsurfs to the back of the bar*
imagine what you could build with the
strength it takes to be somebody else
counterfeit monsters, real people in foreign hands, a
shoulder approaches the neck like a passing train
the room is filled with emerald smoke as the
crowd collapses in a dizzying heap of
fiberglass and storefront lingerie
one man is the odd one out and she
asks him for his hand,
The future is ending, boy, you’d
better kiss me while you can.
The Used Life 
Wonderful.
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Thank you very much.
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Love it. And I understood a lot of it too. 😉
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Then my work here is done. 😉
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This is beautifully written! Well done. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you very much!
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Negotiating the skin deep
We are the Goon Squad
and we’ve burning your town
Beep Beep
The end of time has just begun
The deal going down
has spun off the prayer wheel
of space and time
As lovers weep
and dreamers sleep
in the depths
of a mannequin’s arms
A planetary crime
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sooner or later
the morning after
littered with mannequins
and dustbins and burlesque
machines like the veins in
our own hands
rest, easy, friend,
everything that matters
happens past its time
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In the end, we all became, nothing more than, dummie, that can, walk, talk, and, maybe, think, if, were, among, the lucky ones…
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And just realizing it’s possible can mean we’re already among the lucky ones. 🙂
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This is beautiful! You make me wonder what is going on your poetry, signorina. There is something new in the tone and choice of words… “Mannequin Planet” is beyond everything else, and I know there are more layers in this one for me to discover… You have me thinking on the full range of possibilities you have for new poetic experiments.
Have a nice weekend! 🙂
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Thank you so much, J! I knew you would perceive the difference in tone. I certainly like this poem much better than the original version of “Mannequin Planet.” And I am glad you feel this is something you can continue to re-read and unpack. Do you know what’s funny? This poem finally came together the moment I learned the Stones will be playing here in Charlotte this summer. I got all excited about it and decided to put their music on. That was the missing piece. 🙂 I wish you a happy weekend, also!
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Some really bizarre, dynamic imagery in this poem, which I really enjoyed. I dig “the Stones” in the background, too. This poem is a fun raucous of the burlesque spirit!
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Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun writing this poem, and I’m glad to know that translated.
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Impressive!💦🐬💦
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Thank you 🙂
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🙂 شكرا لترك “أعجبني” على مدونتي ، يا عزيزي.
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De rien, Paul.
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Oh oui ! Votre délicatesse mérite mes remerciements les plus sincères…
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Bien sûr, vous avez un joli blog.
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Le blog n’est qu’un hommage à Tanger, la ville où j’ai vécu et que je porterai toujours dans mon cœur.
اتمنى لك اسبوعا سعيدا
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Oui, je vois que votre blog est un hommage à Tanger. I hope you have a nice week also, Paul. 🙂
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