A Worksheet for Girls

Drain away sweetness, just slide
the blade of shattered polkagris
beneath your gums and, when you grow,
you'll thank hard boiled lessons for the complex
mouth of Campari and espresso;

For the poisoned notes of a carousel,
and a faltering reach, a slip
of fingertips that whisper against -
but never catch -
the unravelling sleeve of la belle dame Regret.

(This and more you'll come to know.)