planning the ballroom
By Alexis Rhodes
i watched him stroll the roof:
Queen of Hearts with a croquet mallet
surveying his kingdom.
placing
six hundred and fifty seats
in a ballroom yet to be built.
twirling ladies and
caviar truffle burgers danced
across his pupils
as he tossed cake to the crowd below.
Eat Me
it read.
a cheer, a crown
a light game of croquet on the
lawn he’ll cover in
gold tile.
servers poured a spiked Kool Aid cocktail
Drink Me
into the gaping maws of the thirsty throng
as he sipped Diet Coke.
and from his perch
he smiled.
did not hear the drums.
the crowd had come
to celebrate
Bastille Day.
Alexis Rhodes (she/her) is a queer, polyamorous poet, playwright, performer, and strategist based in North Carolina. Her poetry has been described as raw and confessional, with just enough humor to lighten the mood. Alexis has been published with Drip Lit Magazine, Orange Rose Literary Magazine, The Words Faire, Blood+Honey, and Wayfarer Magazine, and has forthcoming publications with Action, Spectacle, Ghost Light Lit, Phylum Press, and Half and One. She has completed five anthologies: Notes on a Narcissist, LONGING, Goddess, Spiked Crowns, and lex, your poetry’s grotesque, and is submitting to presses. Alexis lives with her husband, two kids, and a hedgehog named Hedge. Follow her on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Dennis Jarvis via a Creative Commons license.
A Note from Writers Resist
Thank you for reading! If you appreciate creative resistance and would like to support it, you can make a small, medium or large donation to Writers Resist on our Give a Sawbuck page.