All My Fault

So. I am your taboo.

A seductress with kohl-rimmed eyes

Infiltrating your ordered life

Like skins in mashed potatoes.

The forbidden selection you will not allow,

I watch your approach and retreat.

Your struggles (so noble) are no contest

For the dominion of this vixen.

A Southern Belle in the grand tradition

With no need for a mint julep;

Unarmed against charms, you tarry,

Beguiled by wicked words and ways.

The red-haired siren, forsooth,

Intractable as a fat-bellied dog.

Old scripts wither, hesitations fade

And you reason: A good vamp is hard to find.

Vicki Goldsberry Colker

May 31, 1996