by Marcelle Kasprowicz
It's almost time
Last touches to the mask
A rose between the teeth
to neutralize
the dubious fragrance of words
Angels
invisible
are already clutching
the puppet's hair
blowing a suffused aura of truth
through their trumpets
On the right shoulder
or the left
--to perch in the middle
is nearly impossible
The head is claimed
by angels--
On a shoulder then
a parrot
at its post
ready to repeat
into the puppet's ear
the latest trigger word
the punch in a sound bite
Ah, not to forget
Smiles smiles smiles
They must be perfect
-- A little bit of sugar...
You know!
The audience is a spoiled cat
It likes to be scratched
behind the ears
to have its belly rubbed
but her whiskers still quiver
at the sight of a chase
at the irresistible lure of gore
Still it won't lift a paw
to de-bone its own prey
It prefers it served in a cup
as a mousse
If you can make it purr
it is hypnotized
ready for the real show
The one where the old charlatan
with the unctuous voice
offers his latest love potion
Marcelle Kasprowicz was born in Niort, France. She received an M.A. from UT at Austin. She is an Austin resident. She writes in English and French and also translates her French poems in English. In 2001 she was awarded first prize for her poem "House of Bones" in the Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology. She had her poems published in Ascent Aspiration, Farfelu, The Texas Poetry Calendar, Languageandculture.net (on line). She is the author of Organza Skies, a book of poems about the Davis Mountains of West Texas, published in 2005.