Nights

Nights

MIMI la Brunette, each crimson eveningsways her silver serpent arms,peals in half falsetto notes,at the Cabaret VertAnd with greedy eyes the coarse-lipped men internally undress her.But I sit crumpled by a marble-breasted table,the curacoa is vitriol to my chapped, dry lips.I see through Mimi—I see through her tragediesand I see through the subtle cosmeticsof her tired face.(She bore a still-born bastard once,the man she loves, a black-eyed corporalhas shell-shock and nigh throttled her in bed).And Mimi la Brunette, each crimson eveningpeals in half falsetto notes,sways her silver serpent armsat the Cabaret Vert.II.MalaguenasBODY erect and arm defiantly curved,she flings small steps to the clack of her castanets,which snap their rhythm at one, more musicalthan the slight scrape of the plectrum on mandoline strings.She turns and yet so slowly, so haughtily ...I wonder if she is an Empress masqueradingin this dim-lighted, ill-reputed café.Click and the rhythm swims to Pedro’s head,whose features contain the lineaments of appreciation.Clack and the rhythm swims to Sancha’s head.Whom then shall she favour with a rose?Perhaps she will give no look, but flickerflicker for a moment the darkness of her eyelidsand freeze the heart in Pedro’s body beating.The rhythm ceases; Pedro is not the favoured one.A gleam of dagger and muffled fall of a body.

MIMI la Brunette, each crimson eveningsways her silver serpent arms,peals in half falsetto notes,at the Cabaret VertAnd with greedy eyes the coarse-lipped men internally undress her.But I sit crumpled by a marble-breasted table,the curacoa is vitriol to my chapped, dry lips.I see through Mimi—I see through her tragediesand I see through the subtle cosmeticsof her tired face.(She bore a still-born bastard once,the man she loves, a black-eyed corporalhas shell-shock and nigh throttled her in bed).And Mimi la Brunette, each crimson eveningpeals in half falsetto notes,sways her silver serpent armsat the Cabaret Vert.II.MalaguenasBODY erect and arm defiantly curved,she flings small steps to the clack of her castanets,which snap their rhythm at one, more musicalthan the slight scrape of the plectrum on mandoline strings.She turns and yet so slowly, so haughtily ...I wonder if she is an Empress masqueradingin this dim-lighted, ill-reputed café.Click and the rhythm swims to Pedro’s head,whose features contain the lineaments of appreciation.Clack and the rhythm swims to Sancha’s head.Whom then shall she favour with a rose?Perhaps she will give no look, but flickerflicker for a moment the darkness of her eyelidsand freeze the heart in Pedro’s body beating.The rhythm ceases; Pedro is not the favoured one.A gleam of dagger and muffled fall of a body.

MIMI la Brunette, each crimson eveningsways her silver serpent arms,peals in half falsetto notes,at the Cabaret VertAnd with greedy eyes the coarse-lipped men internally undress her.But I sit crumpled by a marble-breasted table,the curacoa is vitriol to my chapped, dry lips.I see through Mimi—I see through her tragediesand I see through the subtle cosmeticsof her tired face.(She bore a still-born bastard once,the man she loves, a black-eyed corporalhas shell-shock and nigh throttled her in bed).

MIMI la Brunette, each crimson evening

sways her silver serpent arms,

peals in half falsetto notes,

at the Cabaret Vert

And with greedy eyes the coarse-lipped men internally undress her.

But I sit crumpled by a marble-breasted table,

the curacoa is vitriol to my chapped, dry lips.

I see through Mimi—I see through her tragedies

and I see through the subtle cosmetics

of her tired face.

(She bore a still-born bastard once,

the man she loves, a black-eyed corporal

has shell-shock and nigh throttled her in bed).

And Mimi la Brunette, each crimson eveningpeals in half falsetto notes,sways her silver serpent armsat the Cabaret Vert.

And Mimi la Brunette, each crimson evening

peals in half falsetto notes,

sways her silver serpent arms

at the Cabaret Vert.

II.Malaguenas

BODY erect and arm defiantly curved,she flings small steps to the clack of her castanets,which snap their rhythm at one, more musicalthan the slight scrape of the plectrum on mandoline strings.She turns and yet so slowly, so haughtily ...I wonder if she is an Empress masqueradingin this dim-lighted, ill-reputed café.Click and the rhythm swims to Pedro’s head,whose features contain the lineaments of appreciation.Clack and the rhythm swims to Sancha’s head.Whom then shall she favour with a rose?Perhaps she will give no look, but flickerflicker for a moment the darkness of her eyelidsand freeze the heart in Pedro’s body beating.The rhythm ceases; Pedro is not the favoured one.A gleam of dagger and muffled fall of a body.

BODY erect and arm defiantly curved,

she flings small steps to the clack of her castanets,

which snap their rhythm at one, more musical

than the slight scrape of the plectrum on mandoline strings.

She turns and yet so slowly, so haughtily ...

I wonder if she is an Empress masquerading

in this dim-lighted, ill-reputed café.

Click and the rhythm swims to Pedro’s head,

whose features contain the lineaments of appreciation.

Clack and the rhythm swims to Sancha’s head.

Whom then shall she favour with a rose?

Perhaps she will give no look, but flicker

flicker for a moment the darkness of her eyelids

and freeze the heart in Pedro’s body beating.

The rhythm ceases; Pedro is not the favoured one.

A gleam of dagger and muffled fall of a body.


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