rabbit dens, though alluring and fun
always reminded her -- of him
but blue bonnets in an open field
no longer seemed enough so...
I Alice chased a gray schnauzer
down an ocherous brick path
discussed Goethe/Freudian allusion
in the early Mamet plays
with that corny old hippie
she met hanging out in the field
had a brief unsatisfying affair
with the horny lumberjack
who clanked so alluringly when he walked.
On her way home she was mauled
by a macho lion overcompensating
for years of low self-esteem.
II Alice ran away with an itinerant
music/poetry ensemble
learned to play bass, scattering
notes and images along the way
got a tattoo, shaved her head
pierced ear, nose and nipple
died of an overdose at age 22.
III Alice goes to AA
and even after 10 years - in recovery
says its still
One day at a time.
Her job as parish secretary passes the days
leaves plenty of time to contemplate
sidewalk-crushed cigarettes
and kittens trapped in trees.
No one understands her passion, obsession,
(her analyst was never told)
for collecting antique tea set miniatures.
IV Alice found her way
to the top of the forest and a guru
with very little brain
where she meditates on his koans
and listens to things which can’t be heard
A furry torso and the stroke of his paw
offer relief
when nothing is still too much
and the dreams return.
Oh my! What will she do
if that horrid little boy ever forgets enough
to find his way back
and will not share the comfort of his bear.
V Alice sprinkled strychnine
in the creepy old pedophile’s gin
and laughed as she watched
his last trip
down the hole.
Afterwards,
everything was pretty much okay.
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