the third girl
the third girl
i found some other girls 1
not to replace because 2
of what that implies 3
but i’ll tell you 4
this much, tristan’s 5
prettier than you ever were 6
and at least alex never lies. 7
the heartless nature reminds 8
me that i must have been 9
a fool to stand for you 10
and try to build a home, 11
a daily substitute for what 12
my life was meant to be, 13
destroying preconceived romes. 14
i escaped with something 15
i know. now i’ll share the 16
song of the third girl 17
and you can let me in on 18
what it shows. 19
the third girl is a child 20
but she’s up on you, 21
seventeen springs, she sings 22
that images are imaginings 23
and flesh is funny, 24
the entire existence of this 25
style and place is so absurd 26
and contains so little conviction 27
that she has even prayed 28
for personal extinction 29
once or twice, 30
but that was before she found 31
out that there were others here, 32
i really don’t want to offer 33
you false hope 34
but there are others, 35
there’s just no guarantee 36
you’ll find them, 37
or stay one of them if you do. 38
the third girl keeps 39
a little gold dragon that 40
swims in air and tastes 41
like a banana popsicle, 42
she keeps it for me 43
so i know it’s always there. 44
it wasn’t in the shower last 45
night with alex or 46
in the place in tristan’s eyes 47
but she sang it recently like this 48
and i only wish i could lie: 49
“the scarecrow was my envy, 50
the tin man had my need, 51
the lion earned what i once tried 52
and a wicked witch stole from me. 53
“oz was at the doorknob and 54
witches on my cardinal points, 55
wizard of emerald city 56
saved what i’d anoint. 57
“dori came far to conquer, 58
she beat the worst they had, 59
she found friends who’d never turn 60
and still the bitch was sad. 61
“she cried and told the wizard 62
that kansas was the place to be, 63
she swore that oz was wonderful 64
but i guess she couldn’t see. 65
“now i stand in desert moonshine 66
feeling melancholy kansas rain, 67
as my mind cracks and bends 68
my empty soul is filled refrain, 69
“was she stupid, was she too young, 70
was she plain old fashioned insane? 71
i guess it’s just too bad 72
the wizard didn’t give dorothy a brain.” 73
14.4.91
