The Life of a Star

By Liz Teel

Pop! Stars shooting across the night with ribbons of blue purple pink

Hairs tight lips light skin smoothed to the bone, bone-in wings

I left myself three

Three seconds to sight! On site and my smile’s missing some teeth

White light, I can’t see my cue cards and the flash is weak

Limping about between panes of glass

I left my slipper at the scene

Smile baby! Your bones are peeking through the screen

And that flat ass on flat screen inflates faster than 

The flatline’s death beat

Pop! Clear to pull the plug and I feel the sleep of a thousand sleeps

Dance in pink purple blue ribbons over me

Zs zagging in hypothetical streaks

But my finger camera clicks, twists and skips a beat

Turning rectified so the Zs repeat

Pop! Back for the bonus round 

Running that Dracula scheme

Stop and smell the roses 

Of osteoporosis and a greasy takeout sheet

I take the corner and wipe that lipstick stain 

Filling the gap between my teeth

Do they ever stop shooting?

Does the moon ever blink?