Elizabeth DUNPHEY
Bicentennial
You'd think that if we could produce one
Susan Dey we must be really great.
Her beige hair, the chapped lips
and humongous clear eyes, that turning up
nose and a coltish tough weary sister laugh
masking ballsiness
what gorgeous looks charged with smoky air
Oh, Keith this person said
On tv, you thought she might faint she was
CHAIN SMOKER 1970S THIN
Susan Dey was renowned for her lessening
possessed this great lack--that American boys old men same thing loved
though it wasn't Diane Keaton's lack
which had the integrity of a peanut butter sandwich.
It was like if you went to a concert and drank beer
and she was the girl who maybe wanted
to go elsewhere Susan would not leave
your hand in her cold white one abruptly
when you saw her at any time later on tv
she had depth but you knew something
expired witty strong as she was
that smoky dewy quality expired
the eyes' expectancy expired it was very Lolita tragic like
was it even the SAME Laurie Partridge
So the fact you do not want Susan so much was so pervasive
and her terrific wrinkles were something
They should teach us that in school
like this was how the country worked
and not only police, Watergate, those supposedly rigid or corrupt things.