The Room
“hey! you in the pink
slinky thing
heaving your cleavage
drop your
cock-sure
Ava gard
avant-guarde

think you’re such a gardener?”

“I’m all for haughty culture”
it only lasts a lifetime

york
is not new

fly me to a monsoon
scribble down an epitaph
not for me
for Mother
you see

I was small
mingling
tingling with sticking
Hollywoodism
wearing boots
made for
talking
leaning on the balcony as
Dean
hot–shoe shuffled through my
best suit
ruffling my demeanour
“d’you mean her?” he purred
a shadow of his former self
“she’s a bitch
they all are”
“and so are you”
said Marilyn
not moving her lips

“you’re dead gorgeous”
“you’re gorgeous dead”

the man who couldn’t stand to lie
lay down
missionary position
fame
after all
that was the only one
they listened to

then

stage creaked
rats packed and pawed
in the glow of a candle blowing in the wind.
I played the intro
then I played it again
the way
Sammy
said

not my way
their way

to be Frank

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35 responses to “The Room”

  1. Oh so much creativity in this, love all the music reference (and I probably didn’t get them all)…
    The rats packed and pawed made me smile… 🙂

    Like

  2. A time gone by, Bjorn, when things weren’t as serene as we are led to believe! 🙂

    Like

  3. Love your wordplay, your humour, the music in this ,yummy~!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They leave their music!

      Like

  4. Very very clever. Needed to read this twice to pick up all of the rat pack references! Indeed wonderful word play. Enjoyed “Not my way. Their way. To be Frank!”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Mary. They deserve a second look!

      Like

  5. Witty and amusing poem, Shirley! I am sure I have mossed a few puns but I enjoyed what I got!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I mossed a few whilst writing. Hey ho!

    Like

  7. I love “and so are you, said Marilyn, not moving her lips. LOL.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Sherry 🙂

      Like

  8. He owned those rooms! Very nice tribute!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Heehee! Love how the last line zings it all together.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Very cool…and fun! Liked the bit about Marilyn talking without her lips moving. :~)

    Liked by 1 person

  11. That was clever. I did get to see Elton John singing Candle in the Wind.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Elton John was/is my favourite 🙂

      Like

      1. Went to a concert of his maybe 10 yrs ago. He didn’t even break except to go to a bottle of coke or something in an ice bucket on stage beside him. My only complaint–hard time understanding all the words of the songs I wasn’t familiar with. But they did run the lyrics across the stage like an opera libretto.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Very imaginative slant, I like Frank’s way too, smiles ~ Enjoyed the conversation with the gang ~

    Liked by 1 person

  13. this had me humming – to be frank *wink*

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My way or thee highway….:)

      Liked by 1 person

  14. ““The man who couldn’t stand to lie.” / Lay down,” love the wordplay throughout the poem..

    Liked by 1 person

  15. That is the best opening stanza ever. Too funny. 🙂

    More people should use “cock-sure” in poetry, if you ask me.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m a firm believer in ‘cock-sure’….UP ‘cock-sure’…for the masses…:)

      Like

  16. Quite a symphony of sounds and To be Frank very clever.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. In the original I had ‘Haughty Culture’ – don’t know quite where I lost it!

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Threads and pieces of an original krewe,
    but where’s Sammy and Peter, and the smell of
    trashed butts,
    the slosh of bourbon staggered with slices
    of the Big Apple..
    Nice,
    Randy

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ah, yes. Much left out, I agree 🙂

      Like

  18. Animal rooms.. briGhtly
    polished with suits
    and ties..
    position
    status..
    whatever
    bRinGs..
    missionaries
    over and
    under
    bridges
    of humans..
    now.. gowns..
    and dresses..
    up and down..
    iN social ladder dreams..:)

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Skin & bones, Katie, Skin & bones…

    Like

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