1940
In lush lives past she skips
Glass slippered slip of a girl
Down silver stairways shadowed by
The harvest moon shine crystal ball
She swings to smoky saxes
swishing nylons
Borrowed from big sister
Silver slippered synchronized
She slides in and out of
anxious arms
Love me truly
Truly here she shines
The floor now hers and veiled in
Cinematic swoops of cigarettes
Her smoky voice a Dear John letter
sealed
With whiskey-scented
lipstick kisses
X-O
X’d out by a promise
Love you truly
White-winged, black-tipped
he stands
White faced raw-boned cowboy
itching for a fight
But now the blood is real
And standing on a star she swirls
He blinks, startled by silvery shards
of moonlight drenched
1950
Gliding down moon river
now boiling hot
In a sudden sun shower of
greeting card wishes
Love you truly
X’d out by a promise
Pink and red and white
childish hands
Clutching swishing skirts grasping
The sweet life out of her
But he’s the one to fade
1960
And so she trades in silver slippers
For a sensible suit
Swagger never suited her
She serves them
Standing at the stove and
drooping in the heat
Hot water bottle at her feet
Just white dots
Deadly dominoes
pull her backwards
Smoking scrambling
gambling gamely
Desperately she shoots the works
On tiny tears and later,
ballet slippers, Barbie dolls
And finally
Town and country
1990
Now crinkle-eyed in the sunlight
as moon river turns to styx
Grasping hands close in a fist
knocking at her door
Sliver thin framing hollows
etched in silver
Turning away,
she has no love and kisses
X-O x’d out
Love me truly
True cross
Truly crossed out
Never truly crossed out,
She crosses over into holy territory
Swooning suddenly tunneling
through silver shards of moonlight
Rapturous, he waits
to welcome her again
And time again she climbs silver-footed
In the moonlight
Shining on
Barbara Solsky is a Hoboken, NJ–based poet, writer, and songwriter. Barbara’s work has been published in various zines, including SHOUT! and ROCKRGRL. One of her short stories was the subject of a class discussion at Barnard College. In the early 2000s, Barbara was a featured reader at the legendary Jushi’s in Chelsea, as well as at the monthly poetry series at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. In 2022, she appeared as a featured reader at the Great Weather for Media Spoken Word Sunday series in New York with legendary poet Ron Kolm.
As founder and frontwoman of the art/noise/improv ensemble Barbiana Complex, Barbara has performed with notable poets and artists, including Jackie Sheeler, Nancy Mercado, Didi Champagne, and Elliott Levin at legendary venues including CBGBs, Bowery Electric, Maxwell’s, and the Viper Room. In September 2023, Barbiana Complex performed at the renowned Boog City 17 Arts Festival in Brooklyn. Currently, Barbara is hard at work writing a screenplay and recording a follow-up to Glamour of Evil, the 2018 opus by Barbiana Complex.
Image: “Le baiser du voyage” by JC Alfier
JC Alfier is a poet and photo-artist whose aesthetics are informed by Yoko Mizuki, Francesca Woodman, and especially Katrien De Blauwer.
Pine Hills Review 