What else can be said about the aftertaste of her alto?
170-proof vodka upstaged by its wispy twist of tangerine peel.
Classical ballet performed in chunky platform boots on the cusp
of an unclimbable cliff. The chalk cliffs of Dover, say, something
nearly sheer, practically pure. A crystalline snow drift at dawn
pockmarked with paw prints left by an unleashed Labrador.
See how her disciples swerve toward that lush vibrato—hungry
Hansels and Gretels leaping into the mouth of her oven.
Michael Montlack
Michael Montlack is the author of the poetry book Cool Limbo (NYQ Books) and the editor of the Lambda Finalist essay anthology My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them (University of Wisconsin Press). Recently his work appeared in North American Review, Barrow Street, Hotel Amerika, Tupelo Quarterly, Poet Lore, The Cortland Review, and Painted Bride Quarterly. He lives in NYC.
Artwork: Don Biggs, Stevie Nicks
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dwbiggs?ref=pr_shop_more
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