John Grey

 

FAME

When you were born,
you were no more
than one small child among many

and the only ones who heard news of you
believed nothing more than
your mother had a daughter
as so many mothers do.

No one could imagine
a woman dressed as a gorilla,
strumming a ukulele,
dancing a very hairy simian hula.

No one heard a voice declaring,
“Brought to you all the way
from a giant American metropolis,
at great expense,
the fabulous Brenda,
the performing ape.”

No bells rang.
No one cut their wrists either.
No fireworks burst above the towers.
But nobody said the likes of,
“The last thing this world needs
is another gorilla act.”

You merely smiled and cried
and did the usual “aww”-inspiring baby stuff.
You had your whole life ahead of you.
And even it barely knew you were there.

__________

 

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in New World Writing, North Dakota Quarterly and Lost Pilots. Latest books, ”Between Two Fires”, “Covert” and  “Memory Outside The Head” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in California Quarterly, Seventh Quarry, La Presa and Doubly Mad.