Dumb Show - Shakespeare's Monkeys

Dumb Show

It only happens in the movies-
a dying lover clasped upon expiry.
I spoof it up - an actress dies
on celluloid with such dramatic irony

to make it false, aloof;
so if he must disclose her dying
I can disbelieve the proof,
I can carry on denying

the picture reel in my head,
its 2AM scene climactic, mounting
to farewell whispers on the bed,
surreal in his recounting.

No, no - not really matter-of-fact
as fantasy drama, unimaginable -
Did he rehearse this final act,
long expecting the inevitable?

And when does the ending end?
When he brushes aside her hair,
re-folds her arms, descends
the breathless, dream-like stair

to falter lines down the telephone.
Lights. Camera. Action - my outtake
plays for years after they're gone -
her hand in his - unreal, fake.

Stephan Anstey -

I love how natural the language is and that you're adept enough to weave rhyme in without slapping me silly with it.

U668857 -

Thanks, Stephan - yes - keeping the rhyme subtle can be challenging. I think the use of enjambment (rather than end-stops) helps in this respect. BRgds., Alan.

Leanne Hanson -

Yes, I like it, particularly your deft touch with enjambment, a rare and delightful thing to encounter these days. I wonder though -- since you're not at all fond of rigid metric structure, have you thought about experimenting with alternating line lengths to avoid the da-dum syndrome? For example,

It only happens in the movies-

a dying lover clasped upon expiry.

I spoof it up - an actress dies

on celluloid with such dramatic irony

U668857 -

Many thanks, Leanne - put the tweaks in to improve the meter. There's probably scope for more metrical refinement ...yes, always a challenge to keep it from sounding too contrived or forced....BRgds., Alan.