the filmstrip
burst through the
tin film can

tits curled
transparency strips
reduced to oakum like
old rope untwisted into
hemp fibers recycled to
caulk the seams of a sinking
boat

cinephile cleavage-heading
film buff smells a bucket full of
minnows so conceited they swim
in vain circles chasing their own tails
in search of big fish fame

box office
we ask ourselves
if we accomplished
art

or did
the big one
get away because
we won't compromise
art

a river
runs through
it

it isn't
the size of
the complaint

it's over
the edge vanity
in showstopper
reality

life is
a film always
in the making 
 

Copyright Ms. Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist