When You Become a Man’s Muse
don’t make the mistake of marrying him.
You’ll end up in the kitchen facing the wall
until he’s ready, then dragged on all fours
onto the canvas, dressing gown undone, pet dog following.
stories shift in contours
of her mapped face
the promise of a river
Then indulge his other weakness—greyhounds at weekends.
How he loves to explore his inner Faust –animal crouched,
while you are splayed like Blake’s infernal etchings.
Every hair and sinew thoroughly wrought, douched clean
when it’s over. He turns away to paint leaves outside the window.
That cheesy cliché –sheet crumpled in the corner of his filthy studio.
maple leaves stiffen
make crabbed hands of babies
ghosts of ourselves
Julie Maclean’s most recent publication Wet Zone is published by Ginninderra Press, 2023. Her full manuscript When I Saw Jimi, shortlisted for the Crashaw Prize (Salt, UK) was published as winner of the Geoff Stevens Poetry Prize (Indigo Dreams, UK). Her work is published widely internationally. Originally from Bristol, she lives on the Surf Coast, Australia. Website: https://juliemacleanwriter.com/