I.
hair in luxurious brown ringlets
            stiff with hairspray
arm bent down my back
            elbow in my face
            fingers contort
                        jump and spin
grab the zipper and
zip up my dress in front of
                        the mirror
            bejeweled bodice weighs me down
                        bright blue drowns
                                    me out
let the reflection of my own
            two hazel brown eyes
                        hypnotize me
            fingers absentmindedly re-twist my curls
                        then
                              ­      snap
            out of it
plop onto the floor and strap
on my heels
            practice walking
            calves and ankles clench to
                        keep from falling over

II.
picture-perfect makeup
            dates in pressed tuxedoes
find your friends
elegant silver jewelry
            sequins sparkles and flowing colors
                        blur together
hold hands
            pose here
you have an eyelash
            fix that one button there
careful don't trip
            you look beautiful
                        quick one more
smile
            
III.
bass pounding
            pulsing in the walls
                        and behind my eyes
dizzying rainbow lights
crowd jumping
                                    blind and deaf
                        screaming
            curls fall out
                        makeup melts
            fists make dents in the humid air
                        ties loosen
            heels ripped off sore feet

IV.
stumble outside
            soft cool twilight
bass still rattling the floor
but someone's prom date
            is a poet too
pure thoughts about
            art and
                        constellations and
                        calculus
            silence the mob inside
hours fly
            sky darkens
stars
            reflect like glowing freckles
            onto smiling cheeks

V.
put your shoes back on
            "get his number!"
because you think I won't
            be satisfied until I
                        kiss him?
we spent a night
            under the stars
            together
our minds together
            crafted thoughts that
                        penetrated the cosmos
            and will float among the stars for
                                    eternity
we were in each other's lives
            for as long as we needed to be
                        created infinity together
                        and
            now –
                        we
carry out
our life sentences
alone

Close my eyes and I can see yours again
Let myself get lost in the distant memory
The song plays through my head
And it's like watching a movie through my own eyes
Because I know it's not real

And I remember how I pressed my head against your chest
How soft your lips felt on my cheek
And how my heart shuddered when you whispered that you loved me
I never wanted it to end

And I'll never forget how soft that dress was
Or the respect I commanded dressed in blood with crown in hand
I wont forget the glittering lights
Or the warm air that night accompanied by the soft breeze

But most of all I wont forget you
Your smile your laugh
Your pocket square with four prongs
I can't forget your dancing
Your sweeping me off my feet

And how could I
You made me feel like a queen for just one night
And as wonderful as it all was
All I really needed that night was you

You are so cute,
No matter what,
From head to toes,
To ***** to ****.

You are the little,
I’m the caregiver,
Just ask for anything,
And I will deliver.

You are so pretty,
Every single day,
Please take my hand,
And I’ll show you the way,
To a happier place,
Just you and me,
No matter where we’re at,
From land to sea,
I’ll be there for you,
And try my best,
I want nothing more,
Than your happiness,
I love my lovely little girl,
My everything, my entire world,
I love you, I love you, I love you so much,
To this terrible life, you’ve become my crutch,
I’ll try to learn to stand without you,
A dependent strong man I’ll be,
The future, together will be seen through,
Together, soon we’ll move in and marry,
And have a nice life with a house and money,
Always and forever, through crying and funny,
Things that we’ll do like eat each others chins,
And share our past stories onto our kin,
But before all that,
I have something to say,
Please hear me out,
This will probably sound gay,
A lovers gay,
The cheesy type,
That makes me want,
To maybe write,
A poem for you,
On our 92nd day,
Here I go,
What I was going to say:

Is that you are the sub,
And I am the dom,
Do me the honors,
Of letting me take you to prom.

did you hear the murderous yell
when they announced
"there's a dead girl in the pool!"
did it make you shiver, make you squirm
did you watch her mother weep?
did you see the unbearable
blood, pulsing out
streaming from her eyes?
her new Chanel dress
blossoming orange now
as she lay perfect in the pool.
do you wish that she was you?
you're the one who put that
poor girl there-

The dead girl in the pool.

neon pink across my face
the blurry blacks of dance
a prize of beauty to be blessed

on the dancefloor acting
a girl's not just a girl
she's the light of the night

and tuneless swayings
swell of mightiest feelings
a dance is hers to be given

Weary eyed shop workers curse the sight of dawn,
A drunken Hen stumbles and her tutu gets torn,
The smell of burning chip fat invades my nose,
‘Chips for breakfast?!’ I cry, chewing marshmallows,
I venture towards the tower feeling free as a bird,
When SPLAT on my shoe lands a seagull ****.
Rough with the smooth - that’s what this town’s all about,
I think as a man pulls his Jokebooks out,
‘It’s for charity!’ he lies. ‘I live here mate..’
‘Oh right, soz love, fancy a date?’’
I ignore the geezer and gaze out to the sea,
Wondering where the Lochness Monster might be..
Soaking up the sights as 2 drunks start to fight,
‘OI’ I shout, as a kid sets a bin alight.
Skaters jump like kangaroos on the bandstand,
As health freaks tut, running rapid on the sand.
Children charge like apes in supersensory mazes,
While parents eye arcades with terror on their faces,
Suddenly crisp packets dance in the air,
As the wind picks up and whips at my hair.
‘It’s hometime for me!’ A hailstone hits my eyeball,
And the blue sky runs behind some grey clouds of storm,
There’s not many places with 4 seasons in a day!
So don’t let the weather throw you into disarray.
‘Blackpool’ I say, ‘a town of stark contrast…’
As a horse driven carriage then a rat stroll past.
A town to make memories no matter how worn,
That time never erases as new ones get born.

Back in Bispham, where the prom’s a bit safer,
The oldies don’t buy 3 Hammers, just pies and papers,
I step off the number 11 bus and shout ‘Thanks!’
The bus driver grunts, takes his hand out his pants,
Then speeds down our beautiful, glistening prom,
Full of lights that probably shouldn’t still be on.