FANTASTIQUEAgainst red-tinted Bedroom backdrop, two-toned Big boot dominatrix Only for pictures Invited viewers to come to her-- Seductively shot Magazine cover Date unknown Drew me to it one day-- Seductive shot reprinted On a medium black t-shirt Hung on a gift shop rack The moment we met in 1998, The sight of you was enough to Start a love affair-- No, a harmless crush-- Miss Bettie, Welcome visitor to my nightly dreams, Mainstream America’s Interest in you Began during my toughest Unemployment streak: 1992. I slept through most of it Like Rip Van Winkle. Woke up for your revival, Arrived late for the party. Miss Bettie, Camera-ready gorgeous lady, How did you manage with A good little choirgirl and A wicked femme fatale Living within you? Both roles worked To your advantage. The keys to men’s hearts Were held jangling in your hand-- Miss Bettie, Your copycats came and went, But I knew Who the real deal was-- FANTASTIQUE French word that best describes you-- Light-hearted you Inventive you Sensuous you Forward-thinking you FANTASTIQUE Fits you good and snug As a pair of black Leather opera gloves. STATUS: MISSINGAbsence makes The heart Grow fonder And the male mind Far more curious About yesterday’s Subversive Beauty queen’s whereabouts Missing from The magazines, Marked absent For decades. Her replacements Are legion And they Don’t hold any candles. Cover model Dream woman Bettie Page, Where have you gone? You have News reporters, Artists, would-be Biographers, boys searching Low and high, behind every bush, Ever watchful for Alabaster hide, Jet-black hair, Some vivacious Signs of you, The Bettie They once knew From their father’s Secret stashes of Pics & mags, the juicier things, Tucked under beds, into attics From fantasies Interrupting their daily Classroom routine, leaving A hard feeling down below-- Can’t blame you really For wanting your privacy. Too many damn Wolves out there. There’s no real shame In wanting to remain Missing. One guesses More beauty, more problems-- DISCOVERY |
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