Sestina
Location
This sestina is dedicated/inspired Joyce Carol Oates' short fiction Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
Trapped in her world of music
Her thin wrists locked by bracelets of jingling charms
Searching frantically in the mirror for affirmation of her beauty
Silky hair flowing as she strode with darting amber eyes
As the boys stared she unleashes her piercing laughter.
He watched as her breathless laughter
Entwined with the blaring music
Hiding beneath dark sunglasses, his shatter-glass eyes
Roared that he desires to charm
Through the heart of the sapphire-eyed beauty.
To gather praises for her undeniable beauty
She switched her cynical laughter
To jingling giggles as she changed
Into the appropriate outfit for home with music
Bouncing in her head and charms
Jingling like alarms on her wrists. Invited by her eyes
He thought that He has to have her! Eyes
Burning as he watched the beauty
Walk away, leaving shards of charm
And pieces of nervous, forced laughter
Lingering in the air. Looking for fitting music
Soundtracks in his loose change
Littered car as he laughed under the changing
Shades of the desert sky. Eyes
Set in the direction the music
pointed, he goes after the beauty
who has hair the color of magnesite stone. Laughter
slashing through the desert without charm.
He said in his monotone Baby I am your Prince Charming!
Oh she had not the chance to change.
She screamed desperately for her mother as his laughter
Penetrated through her with his shattered eyes
Taking in the powerless, shaking beauty
Who was betrayed by her music.
Bits of charm reflected in his shatter-glass eyes
As the changed, obeying beauty
Stumbled toward his laughter, following his music.