For Edith
oh you were popular
easy to see why
you had a vulnerability
a weakness
for weak men to feast upon
they swarmed to hug you
to feel the swell of your breasts
tight up to them
the swell of a woman
the swell of that weakness
the softness
the ‘weakness of woman’
in the hug
you tight up to them
they ‘knew’ you
they owned you
on stage you were a goddess
a farolito
little moth-men
grandiosities
short of stature
short of talent
flittered flattering
posturing in the glow of you
they singed their wings
your fault
they resorted
to fists and furies
you fought them with words
words stronger than bruises
they shut the gates
denied you stages
but your light still shines
will shine
long after they
stop being remembered