Primadonna
Age cannot wither her, for youth has done it ;
But the vicissitudes of mortal progress
May yet transform a bitch into an ogress.
Observe without dismay that handsome face.
The yellow teeth and yellow conjunctiva,
The mouth agleam with lipstick and saliva
And marked with vices she has only dreamed,
Reveal a certain paralysing charm
Like that of the stone heads on Notre Dame.
On those above, and far enough below,
She turns a wet, ingratiating smile,
A voice to wheedle, flatter and beguile.
But read between the lines, the face is harsh ;
The smile is but the mirror of a mind
By flagellation-fantasies refined.
Let but some near-subordinate rebel—
How quickly vanishes the obsequious leer
And the cajoling voice becomes a sneer.
It is her pride to call a spade a spade,
And when her spade bisects the offending worm,
It is her joy to see the pieces squirm.
Better be in the wrong than prove her wrong.
Then hear her bluster, bully, rage and fret,
And stamp and strut and play the martinet.
But let bad luck assail her, or self-doubt,
Then see the ego droop, the spirit sink,
Until restored by flattery or drink.
Page(s) 3 (given as p.11)
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