“Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Allison” by Lori Lamothe

after The Breakfast Club

I.

As it turns out, I like the black shit.
Burned the blouse
and stomped the headband
to smithereens.
Folded the blue jacket
and left it on his doorstep.

II.

Reader, I ignored him.

III.

My purse overfloweth
with Atwood and Plath,
Oxblood lipstick and Kohl
eyeliner. Banshees
on my Walkman,
charcoal pencils
in a black leather case.

IV.

I braid my hair
with ravens,
stitch the wings of bats
inside the hem of my skirt.

V.

The ring on my belly
marks the beginning of many circles.

VI.

O athletic boys of America
why do you always dream of girls
pretty in pink?

VII.

A man and a woman are one.
A man and a man are one.
A woman and a woman are one.
A compulsive liar and a nymphomaniac and a raven
are one.
It’s not rocket science.

VIII.

Rain keeps falling.
Rain keeps falling.

IX.

Dear John Hughes,
I don’t accept the fact
that I’ve got to spend the rest of reality
walking off camera
as a version of who you think
the average Foreigner fan
wants me to be.

X.

On Wednesdays I wear
white.

XI.

I rode cross country
on a ’67 Harley.
A man in a station wagon
mistook my shadow
for a bitch
on a broomstick.

XII.

The desert moon arcs across the sky.
My heart
must finally be undying.

XIII.

It’s been night all night.
Would you recognize me?
I’m not of Simple Minds
but I’m dancing
you know it, baby.

Hey, hey, hey, hey

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Image: Animated GIF from The Breakfast Club