every woman in every film reminds me of you
pixilated each recalls your curves
your multi-hued eyes your face & hair
pale witch who woos the warrior to wrong
girl on a train with wide lips & mysteries to solve
lovesick hooker hiding a handgun in her purse
it started with Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation
alien & alone beside my culture-drunk Bill Murray
then you were the unfaithful wife with skin of brimstone
though I couldn’t figure out were I spouse or famished lover
now I change channels & you are everywhere
bride-to-be cheerleader bloody Queen of Scots
the karaoke singer’s you & that young lawyer blazing briefs
even the triple amputee who needs a liver in the made-for-TV weepy
as though I’ve forgotten your actual face
rebuilt you a flickering army marching away
Ace Boggess is the author of two books of poetry: The Prisoners (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2014) and The Beautiful Girl Whose Wish Was Not Fulfilled (Highwire Press, 2003). His writing has appeared in Harvard Review, Mid-American Review, Atlanta Review, Rattle, River Styx, Southern Humanities Review and many other journals. He currently resides in Charleston, West Virginia.
