An Anthology of Flowers

An Anthology of Flowers

L. Edgar Otto

24 October, 2013


The shawled lady worked the amusement park
the theaters, restaurants around the penny arcade

She sold Kewpie dolls with long crape paper dresses
and bouquets or a single rose, her artificial flowers

How could the sailor refuse after the ride thru the
tunnel of love, was the neon light in her eyes as artificial?

Who with mooning gaze could refuse the wider ones,
pointed hair. for you Doll dressed up, hold your baby

Baby, baby face, you got the cutest little baby face
Oh don't you need one? Let's walk hand on hand

No one will know in the privacy of the instant photo booth
what sort of  poses we display, its OK I will show no one

The child that followed her on her rounds looked up at
the two headed man and poster, mushroom cloud splitting the earth

Leaving the ocean view, merry-go-round, roller coaster screams'
here's your cap mister, you left it on the carousel booth

He gives the boy a silver dollar, the small train smells of coal
I can ride it to the Promised Land or all around again

The boy thinks, more nickels for the Nickel, Nickelodeon
he cannot enter therein but can still point the way

As they leave the amusement park a Kewpie falls out of
her dress and they make fun of the swabbies he looks back

At the lady's artificial flower in her hair, then the dolls ruby lips,
sings goodbye Milk and Honey, goodbye Humpty and Dumpty


* * * * *


Kerry's prompt on Imaginary Garden