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The Parlour
1.
When we found her she was on the nod, asleep on all 4s,
her head hanging down into heroin, tucked into clouds
like the weight of a wren, dropped down between sheets,
the client snapped the unused condom from his foreskin,
the manager tapped her twice on the arse with a sliver
spoon, but nothing would move that heaven inside her.
2.
He was a widow for 12 months, who was married almost
50 years, he said, 'you don't know how to be treated like
a lady, that's your problem,' he booked the twins - double
trouble: twice the fun, a mother and daughter act, but they
were triple booked at the hilton hotel, so he got 'the house
wife with a twist" - 5 months pregnant, 2 for the price of 1.
3.
When we found her she was alone on the platform, it was
the same platform that had ruined her father, the laughter
was long gone from her eyes, so that even the drunks no
longer harrassed her, 'don't you know,' she said, 'it's been a
long time since I was a girl,' now we look for the signs in
these barren places, where she was already turning away.
4.
He was a cross-dresser, who biggest thrill was to pretend
to have a sex operation, it was the con more than the fake
prospect of being a woman, that turned him on, once he was
all mixed-up in panty hose, he brought his executive pals in
from Balmoral, who jerked off along each other's backs, she
was a table, holding a drink, who covered herself in plastic.
5.
When we found her, she was hiding under the marble basin
in room number 6, the jagged end of a champagne bottle
in her hand, she had murdered every client in the room,
every moon in the old city sky, her pupils as large as a
killers, the white powder catching her throat, he created
rivers with a nose bleed, the room was now immaculate.
6.
He was a vietnam veteran who stayed 3 days until his angel
dust ran out, they gave him a bottle of JW from the fake bar,
left in the joint over easter, the new girl who saw him stripped
50 times, but he wanted her clothes back on, he spoke of the
mystery within, she lost the plot and threw a glass, 'you some
kinda freak or do you fuck?!' he was hurt, so she apologised,
'Ok. I'm bad,' then she got tired and fell asleep in his arms.
7.
When we found them, she had already kissed him and
everything was different, she held her hand to her mouth
as if too much had been said, her other hand stifled his
heartbeat, they were as shocked as infants, he started to
dictate a future, her giving up work for him, until they
pulled back from the situation, to clearly see each other.
8.
He was a 1 of 2 detectives floating around on confiscated
ecstacy tabs, brought his gun in, had to unload it off duty,
wrap it up in towel, the trigger pointed, this unmasked dick
blowing bubbles, like cheap champagne spilt into a spa,
it took him 3 hours on all fours looking into the patterns
of the carpet, in order to find his mobile phone, the girls
were all yawning, it was a 3hr 3000 dollar investigation.
9.
When we saw her, she was trying to give a beggar some
food, 'get the fucken food away from me!,' he snarled, 'I
don't want you fucken charity!' the shop had prepared a
separate bag for her, at the fast food joint, because it had
made her smile, her mum always taught her give them a pie,
rather than drug money, dilated pupils in both her eyes.
10.
He was a loud-mouthed yank who rang in from los angeles,
when we questioned him, he traveled coach, a no-cash waste
of time. She started young, the fear of disease brought her
in off the streets, he was 'fair deal man' from a stale marriage,
the promises left his lips like a puff of smoke, then he offered
her 'nothing' and in return, he wanted no less than her soul.
11.
When we found her, her toes had curled, her calves had
stiffened into her heels, her orgasm coming too soon on the
shift, no new room could take the image of him away, no
matter how empty the space had become, each client who
entered was her desire for him, the condom broken, she
should never have kissed him, now she waited for his love.
12.
The mascara settled into a permanent line beneath her
eye, the airfare was paid for but it wasn't enough, 'I just
need 3 more jobs and then I'm done', 'but hey, this isn't
working, it's more complex than that, I like to have fun,
that's all', he waited at the bar after the job, or until she
lead the next one off, so that he finally got the message.
13.
He was a turkish mafia - '... you look after me and I'll look
after you,' we knew his type well, 3 girls every casino win,
what's she supposed to do with that?!, put it in her mouth?,
she don't want no dislocated jaw honey!, you keep that thing
away from me,' he was too well hung, until they sent in a pro
from singapore, she put him to sleep and ripped off his cash,
they threw him out onto the streets, now he was a real ass.
14.
The police siren tore down the city, as it moved across
her wedding band, the tail end of her head spin was a
carousel of flashing lights, it was a beautiful rainy night,
her eyes soaring above the streets, $1000 in her shoe,
her evening gown saturated in stale smoke, her blonde
wig dragged across testicles, his cock as hard as credit.
15.
Unconvinced by the porno movies and the compliments,
he thought of his wife and all the things he would never
have inside his heart, the synthetic brunette in disguise
checking the time, pouring him another drink, her hand
on his limp drunk prick, her thoughts of fresh towels, ice
melting into champagne and cleaning up the soggy room.
16.
Her breasts fell off the side of her body, because they
were as natural as suffering, they did not point to the sun
at midday as hard as mountains, his fingers settled into
them like a sponge, he took his chances and nibbled her
ears, and was immediately chastised, the acidic perfume
tasted like strong antiseptic, burning the tip of his tongue.
17.
He was a thin busniess man, who took the biggest woman
he could and then got frightened of her and had a shower,
she gave all the extras, pushed others out of the way, just
to lick all his toes clean, for her efforts he extended the
booking for an extra half an hour and then went after the
one girl he couldn't have, it was all power power power.
18.
When we found this kid he was no longer a virgin, still
trembling and smoking his first cigarette, he chose the
hostess who was most like his mother, she said, 'I always
get the virgins, I must have a big V stamped onto my
forehead', once out of the shower he fell in love, as she
dried him down, and told him not to come back again.
19.
When we found her she had given up, she wore pale pink
and wept like a faery lost in the woods, they gave her a lolly
for being premenstrual, but she flooded the place with her
grief, once the tissues had all been saturated, she hugged
them all and a solemn blonde, just turned 16, said 'goodbye
forever,' to the faery within, as she melted onto the street.
20.
Who in this life can say, who is divine, and who is not,
because ... everything shines, finally herself, she threw
her arms around his neck, and began her crazy laughter,
now you've relaxed, you've given me that much at least,
he wanted everything he never got, as she offered him
the world's unseeing eye, the world's unknowing heart. |
