The Tattooed Poets Project, Day 21: Dese'Rae Stage

Today's poem is contributed by Dese'Rae Stage:

The Ball

I translated her into pain.

—Stephen Dunn

We met at the ball, a masquerade

in a messy apartment prone to noise complaints.

White Christmas lights, two months early,

hung from crooked nails in the walls.

Zorro was there, and Robin Hood too.

Prince Charming had prior engagements.



She held her drink, Jack and Coke,

like she wanted it to hold her;

a strong arm to hang on to.

She danced alone, despite her suitors.



I found her later on the tennis court

staring into the nightlight halo cast

upon her, into the eyes of some god.

She was missing one shoe and

swaying, as if with a breeze.



With your ear to the ground, you can feel a

train from a mile away, palms down in anticipation.

We waited, but he never came. Two bodies

parallel and then intersecting, I felt only

her lips and tears against my neck.



We lay there until the clock struck midnight.

She and I, Cinderella missing her prince

and Snow White, his understudy.

"The Ball" was originally published in The Mockingbird.

Dese'Rae Stage is a poet, photographer, and troublemaker extraordinaire. Sun-bred in Miami, she now makes her home in New York City. Her poems have appeared in The Mockingbird, Poems-for-All, and Voices. She currently spends most of her time with a camera, chasing rock stars to get the shot. Her photo work regularly appears on BrooklynVegan, PopWreckoning, Prefix, and Stereogum. You can find her portfolio at http://ifeelinfinite.net.

Dese'Rae has some incredible tattoos, one of which can be seen over on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Dese'Rae for her participation in the Tattooed Poets Series!