Richard Jordan

PLAYING IT BACK

I made a brief appearance
in a low budget art film.
There I am in the cafe
sitting alone in the corner
in black and white. The waiter
in Technicolor wants to know
what he can bring me for dessert.
I order the house special:
Salvation a la mode.

What, you couldn't hear me
over the wailing industrial swing band,
the ponderous ka-chunk of a dozen boobs
flapping, as the dancing girls
prance naked on table tops
under neon strobe lights?

Let me rewind the tape
and play it back in slow motion.
If you pay careful attention,
you can see the waiter turn ghostly
pale, the smoking splinters of graphite
flying from the tip of his pencil
as he scratches down my request.

True, I was merely an extra.
But I was impressive
for nearly five seconds.

Date of Birth: January 18, 1965 Location: Woodbridge, Virginia Email: sdjordan1@juno.com Publications: Kimera, Red River Review, Branches, Adirondack Review, Concrete Wolf, Futures, Facets, Virginia Adversaria, American Feed Magazine, Blue Monk, Stirring, etc. Other: Guest Associate Editor for Facets Magazine, Poetry Contest Editor for Beginnings Magazine

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