frankly my dear

Lisa Armstrong

I’m a heroine waiting in the wings
for a Great Gatsby of a man
Heart teetering on the edge
Wuthering Heights

My life a sad old black and white movie
Rickety, running off the tracks
but I always dream in splendid technicolor

In my dreams
even the rain sings
bouncing melodiously off the ground
as we dance in time

We are Bonnie and Clyde tonight
snatching one last kiss
When the curtain twitches
I know it’s time to leave

Intermission ...

I resume my role
the heroine tied to the rail-road tracks
hearing the warning chug of the steam engine
Panic rising!
Clark Gable is nowhere to be seen
Gone with the Wind

Now I must live out
that tired old trope,
”the damsel in distress’”.

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Lisa Mary Armstrong lives in Scotland with her children. She tutors law and researches women and children’s experiences of the criminal justice system. In what's left of her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry and fiction, drinking tea, and playing the piano. Her poetry has been published in @poeticallymag, @fahmidanjournal, and is forthcoming in @royalroasemag @dwellinglit @TheIndianFemRev. Her Twitter handle is @earlgrey79_lisa.

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