(Isabel Rosario Cooper)
Every man's fantasy,
girl in a box,
girl in a robe, girl
in a lace-trimmed gown; never
a raincoat, never a pair
of boots or sturdy walking
shoes. Girl waiting
among heavy cane-
striped and mahogany furniture
sorting telegrams and notes.
Girl eating room
service for four years
with a silver knife
and fork, ordered by no less
than the General himself. Yes
I am that girl of the first
grainy screen kiss, only fourteen
when tipped back
and the camera caught
what people liked
to call the first lips-
to-lips. When he said
I shall return, I thought
it was me being addressed.
Purveyors of fine poetry since 2003.