Scars

Rose was beautiful, Rosemary said, scar and all.
Rose was singing All of Me and Bobby remarked
she never failed to sound like Billie Holiday.
Rose’s scar did not mar her beauty though
Billie’s were all inside. So were Paula’s,
though her body’s faint tracks led straight to hell
if her beautiful feet followed her there.

Sanchez had canceled tonight’s performance.
He was out with Huerfano copping shit.
So Clark said stopping by the New Congress
to pick up Paula. Bobby took Rosemary by
Doug and Myra’s place to see how they were doing.
DG said she was in the hospital.
Bleeding that wouldn’t stop at home. He smoked
a j and passed it around. He was down,
as down as Bobby had ever seen him.
Bobby tried to talk him into coming
to hear Rose and Dave, living apart now
but near perfectly synchronized on stage.
Doug had to be home should he get a call.

They stayed to hear the entire set. Rose came over
and met Rosemary. Rose wanted to know
what happened to his face. He lied. He joked,
Like I told Rosemary, this woman beat me up
with her umbrella. I had gone too far,
too drunk to hear myself before it was too late.
On the street Rosemary said, Don’t worry,
honey, you will make a beautiful corpse.
He thought that was pretty goddam funny.
They went to her place where they fucked and slept.

(17 September 2012)

copyright 2012 by Floyce Alexander