Punishment
How can I forget the day
you tempted me with that soft, brown
skin and half opened, silver zipper
on your neck
I touched your cozy, black heels
and held your strong legs, the way Scarlet begged,
"Don't leave me alone!"
Please, in all the freezing winters ahead!
Then, you promised, even guaranteed
to keep my heart warm and hopeful
the way all the hot coffees in the world
poured into my cup
But like all the bastards, cheaters
and liars I've ever seen in the movies,
you broke my heart and let me feel
how slippery the ice road of loving is
You took out my passion's root
I'm not going to open your box this year
and will go shopping for a new leather boot
you tempted me with that soft, brown
skin and half opened, silver zipper
on your neck
I touched your cozy, black heels
and held your strong legs, the way Scarlet begged,
"Don't leave me alone!"
Please, in all the freezing winters ahead!
Then, you promised, even guaranteed
to keep my heart warm and hopeful
the way all the hot coffees in the world
poured into my cup
But like all the bastards, cheaters
and liars I've ever seen in the movies,
you broke my heart and let me feel
how slippery the ice road of loving is
You took out my passion's root
I'm not going to open your box this year
and will go shopping for a new leather boot
Black Boots -- S. C. October
Scarlett O’Hara was the main character in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel “Gone with the Wind.” In early drafts Mitchell referred to her as Pansy and did not decide on the name "Scarlett" until just before the novel went to print. Mitchell took the title from the third stanza of Ernest Dawson’s 1894 poem, “Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae” because of its "far away, faintly sad sound.”
ReplyDeleteI have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind,
Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng,
Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind;
But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, all the time, because the dance was long:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
The novel was the top American bestseller in both 1936 and 1937, and a 2014 Harris poll declared that it was second-favorite book among American readers, just behind the Bible; more than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide. Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937. It was adapted into a 1939 film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming. The original screenplay was written by Sidney Howard but in an attempt to get it down to a suitable length it underwent many revisions by several writers including Ben Hecht, John Van Druten, Oliver H. P. Garrett, Jo Swerling, Barbara Keon, and Selznick. The original director, George Cukor, had spent almost two years in pre-production but was fired three weeks after filming had begun and was replaced by Fleming, who in turn was briefly replaced by Sam Wood while Fleming took some time off due to exhaustion (he was simultaneously directing “The Wizard of Oz”. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, it won 10, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress , and Best Supporting Actress. The second-most-expensive film ever made at the time, it was the highest-earning movie for a quarter century and, adjusted for monetary inflation, is still the most successful film ever made.