Inspired by the novel Girls by Emma Cline
We always walked like we weren’t wearing any shoes
our candied faces answering all our own questions
our expressions downshifting into silence.
It’s out of fashion now –
that kind of hunger that can expose you
that numinous detritus against the teeth
that voltage of dislocation
the tragic insufficiency of known quantities
the sad limbo of trying not to fall.
We complicated our lives with persistent conspiracies
we had to shape ourselves around
lies thickening our tongues.
Just a rearrangement of the same tragedies
in the dingy ecru of borrowed rooms
like a movie we didn’t really want to watch
None of that was a gift.
*
None of that was a gift
only a movie we didn’t really want to watch
long out of fashion now.
Tightrope walking over a sad limbo
trying not to fall
not wearing any shoes.
The dingy ecru of borrowed rooms
shaped us
in tragically insufficient ways.
We vibrated with dislocation
rearranging the same tragedies
complicating our lives.
Able to downshift our expressions
candy our faces
answer all our own questions.
That numinous detritus can expose you.
*
Such exposure is out of fashion now.
The dislocation of dingy rooms
now rattles our teeth.
We now know our own shape
candy our faces less thickly.
Lies, insufficiencies, conspiracies
we have downshifted into silence.
These are known quantities.
We have rearranged the old tragedies.
No more tightrope.
No more movie.
We walk away like all of that was a gift.
copyright 2019
Cynthia
Linville |