and requests that I make her a raspberry jelly
sandwich on white bread and we sip
Diet Dr. Pepper from fluorescent-colored
flexy straws and she talks about Veruca Salt,
I taught those girls how to apply eyeliner
backstage at Saint Andrews Hall in 1994.
She dives onto the sofa and licks jelly
from the crust of her sandwich
to keep it from escaping, her tongue
bleeds red sugar sweet raspberry
while the opening credits
of 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield
flash across the television screen
and she says, T., you should get a head tattoo—
like the guy in the opening credits
—and I agree, But what should it say?
She takes the last bite of her sandwich
and sucks her red sugar sweet raspberry
fingertips and says,
Qu’ils mangent de le gâteau—
let them eat cake!