Yellow Fringe Dress by Paul Cunningham

/radioactive moat press www.radioactivemoat.com

Editors: Paul Cunningham & Bri Scala radioactivemoat@gmail.com

Cover Design by Neila Mezynski

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A Minor Magazine: “Tree Talls” YB Magazine: “Alice Gazelle,” “Geoffrey Giraffe,” and “Geraldine Kangaroo” Corvus Magazine: “Gold Bead Eye” Short Fast and Deadly: “Musician I” and “Musician II” Red Lightbulbs: “Piano Playin Bob” and “Red Dress Run” >Kill Author: “Doors I” and “Doors II” The Delinquent: “Dancer On Pogo Stick”

CONTENTS Part I…………………………………………………………...Fairyland Part II…………………………………………………………..Fairytail Part III……………………………………………………........Fantasyland Part IV…………………………………………………………Music Lovin On Pogo Stick Part V………………………………………………………….Tree Talls Part VI…………………………………………………………Circus For To Act Part VII………………………………………………………...Copin In Wonderland Part VIII………………………………………………………..Dangereuse Dorothy Deer

I Fairyland

Tree top lacy lace dress hippety hip hop hop. High. Sparkle wand chimney chin chin. Crystal clear swollen belly. Princess. Dread long. Hospital bed smooth silk cherub pink, fringe. Munchkins other friendly come to visit, see, tiny bake person disapprovin old witch, Huey Dewey Luey stack on top get a good view. Uncle Donald Mickey Minnie awayfarin one. Bad influence, no husband. No normal again Glenda sweet. Warty sister. Yellow Trail beckon. Gatherin wit, flower, lampshade, toy train, Barbie Dorothy, baby make a dash . Ken. Three little pigs, cherub expect for dinner. Baby, hungry, pizza parlor. Before. Three piglets nowhere housey house house. Ungainly furry person large snout red sunbonnet lookin hungry. Real. Out, there, help, Rapunzel. Long blonde hair wolf chimney, good ladder . Hair down side of tower all dirty. Blonde. Dwarf name her cousin finally Esmeralda. not right.

Continuin. Dancinʼ singinʼ mama baby motley crew yellow brick road happy happy missin body parts guy with boominʼ voice. Found. Castle date Wizard baby pogo stick tryin to keep up. Impossible to get to castle Franz says no one has key you couldnʼt open door. If. Amirage. Yellow brick trail. Dense. Tree. Meadow. Sweet deer, curl on hair, fawn tuxedo shiny hoof pointy point nose goin down tender note right angle sweet spot touch almighty high transport place. Chopin. Reverent for a dear. Motley crew tiptoe near not far beside themself, go see note his nose put on, inspect before it fly away. Bowing scraping precious nose, deer applause, annoyance cowardly lyin yell BRAVO. Jarred dear deer from nose touchin reverie. Yellow brick wizard trail, back on. Muddy kittens lost mitten, seven grumpy short guy, lookin good brunette stand up collar, broad pouffy skirt spider overhead, sheep in bush, give direction Mr Wizards place. Lost.

Boulders. Mr. Wizard nice short bald rosy. He is. Shock. European suit fit tight large soft voice. Santa Claus. No answers. Dorothy baby tric track. Red sequin shoe, topple over house, warty wart witch, dead bouffant dress sparkle plenty dance joy Glenda munchymunchkin men men men bottle oʼ rum yo.

Swirlin succotash. Home. Four uncle crowdin round bed. Familiar. Worry. Little match girl burn cousin Dorothy trashy craft collection newspaper pile high, ceiling. Unpleasant. Clothes too. Little match girl outside dead winter sellin matches find something more lucrative. Tupperware. Unhappy dad. Icycle hangin her Winchester rifle keep close not be victim. A fairytale, somethin grim . . . Shoot him. Nice Pied Piper fellow she knew better. Not dad. Dead. Plenty company, half the town, infernal flute playin. Grassy grass knoll, dandelion field twenty foot drop follow off cliff, burning fire. Jump. Apologize to parents doin a evil thing. He did. Play fluty flute wear pointy point shoe late, no dinner. Tweet. Mom babe dinner, grim character follow long beige nighty man sandal feet scratchy hat. Great Exquisitor guy始ll hold your bread, give him your consciencenesses. No sandals, no problem. No flute.

Shimmerin始 star dust.

Nother tweet

II Fairytail

Blue water, yellow fringe dress, wet remorse. She lie, no remorse. This old lady preachin bout evil in bus stop. Only. Slowed her down. Home, hides, she throw away key no one sees. Her belly, her cry. Plenty. Dust herself off, yellow fringe moo moo jump in pool belly and all, light up hunker down wait the long wait. Take it like a man. Slut. Read classics. Get some answers. Hide til fully bake. Dostoevsky Camus Faulkner. Choices. Plenty. Scarlett. Today. Yellow dress fringe on top plenty stretch seam split later. Another chance, open door policy. Next time.

Chopin.

III

Fantasyland

Beethoven pointy pointe shoe yellow fringe dostoevsky brahms dr seuss.

She awake.

Cowardly Lyin suit dry cleanin yellow brick track no worry. Got milk. Click twice. Cake.

Red shoes

Roof top twinkle lace treetop sparkle leaf shimmer chimer smoke swirlin its way.

Awake

Evil head lop off sharp tongue high c lost place sweet transport dumb braid wearin party crashin furry hurry gotta go lyin cheatin ax grindin ketone cookin lookin back seat dancin. Lyin. Black lace. Cowardly Lyin, no curly hair. Somewhere book. Yellow brick trail.

Fringe.

IV Music Lovin on Pogo Stick

Chopin Girl

Chopin Liszt. Sweet notes. Back straight forehead nose too far from note. Touch. Cherish piano player. Brush hair from behind. Sweet sound. Go. Don始t. Squeeze hand.

Bravo hater Restraint. None. Piano playin始 disgust, oh no, meetin greetin gushin line. Graspin finger breakin knuckle pressin toe hold. Crunch. Go to hospital after all that exclaimin love. Take them gushin like a man. Piano player.

Concert Blockin Bad knee loud laugh sofa sittin blockin stoppin two by four guy. Bitter. No pogo stick no smile no bravo no fun. Scarf round neck on summer day.

Sophisticate one

In front of face on first. Who. Chopin excited don始t disturb their sophisticate conversate. Hip spread jowl hang brain dead. Looking for a warm body. Any.

Dancer On Pogo Stick

Rock boulder devilish high. Post Pile dancing, dos se do. Walker stuck on bottom, flounce tore up bent knee. Nose eye teeth toe foot knee snap. Crowded. In there. Straight seam loose grab flip over rock round knee. Backward. Crunch. No dancer there. Walker on top, good acrobat, though. Knobble knobble knee on nose. Billy millie goat yellow on tulle . Tumbling tumbleweed knee tight too. Story line. Turn page, get to front line. Ballet in the barn. Rocks. Tulle rock shred chord sit stay. Eye nose teeth flat chest on tear nose red rose on toe. Giselle. Shriek. Boing.

V Tree Talls

Tall words

Too big. Donʼt fit in car, arm leg head feet mouth big. Open wide. Teeth. Wanna go where no girl been without lookin. Her. At. Name callin beyond such, silly. Head in cloud she invent idea word sound of extreme nice. Love word sound. Solvin of problem and the understood of problem like mind people understand word sound music. Dance. No size restraint for that. Put it word it write squeeze head fill think small large. Dip dive moon swoon june. Ghanistan. Conomy. Gesundtheit! Figure out what need to be think. Helpful. Melon head body mind grasp. Sizeable. Topic large needin solvin. Tree girl big brain.

Leafy ones

Too many. Ivy. All the way up, it went. Arm branches couldnʼt breathe or wave, held down. Totem pole sculpt. Beautiful. Quiet. Stand sparkle. At first ivy just want to drop by, nice visit. Occasional. Come on over, Iʼll make some tea said tall tree tree. Ivy like that. Didnʼt have a whole lot of plan for herself during the day. Or night. Ivy like it. Tea. Want to come and visit every day all day pretty soon couldnʼt wouldnʼt didnʼt leave. Tall tree ran out of tea. Ivy brought that too. Then. Accomodatin. Tree having trouble breathin ivy so much. There. No time for thinkin, sortinʼ, plenty of gabbin, all day. Ivy start out visitin at bottom around tree root foots then up around baby tree makin area on up in her fork pits always a lovely smile pleasant interestin things to say. Tree notice she gettin quiet standin lookin beautiful sparkly all day, nice at first now startin to worry . Tree missin time for complex troublin think. Wave branches round think, ugly like, not lovely green wrap round every leaf in place donʼt muss think. Stand. Still. Ivy crawlin closer to top of tree tree. Always nice pleasant face interestin ideas. Tall tree hardly notice. Nice smile.

Tree Men I Men in tree find soft place on rock to keep theirself from falling down to harsh ground with which they are not so comfortable in case they get scared up there so high in tree donʼt see or get it at all much except a place whereby to bake cookies which they excel oh toothless one need the gentle one without which they would not be able to stay on top..oh no they would have to content themself on the ground and they the blonde ringlet group would stay afloat on top in the leafs the green the sky the pure oh my.

Tree Men II High head men in trees throw boulders down below to keep soft blondes away from cake baking before it始s time to lick ear lobes from behind. Soft head men leave tale feathers between cracks in teeth frosting cakes on boulders and get home in time for bedtime story. Tall tail.

Tree men III Soft rock high head tree teeth gnash furry chest boulder frosting hair bite chewin foot ringlet chasin men lovin bakin makin cake in time for bedtime story. Soft. Throw away key, crumblin cookie. Tree leaf green sky pure. Done to a T.

Up A Tree Light high, treetop, snag stocking blue jay lark sing she too do chest rise fall sweet ecstasy scratchy thought pullin tearin lookin for hole to peek through gossamer blur.. nasty don始t smell bad here among them sweet. Scratch limb branch screech. Tight weave.

Tall Tree

Nighttime. Tall tree. Still. Come quiet. Heavy boot soft. Hard on hat. Shiny sharp. Blade. Sneakin up. Tree. Noose round, branch. Thinkin area, unclear. Disconnect. Disect, vivisect. Continuum. None. Match. Fire on twig. Log. Scatter the wind. Tall tree. She win. Sortta.

For The Forest Sweet tippy toe reach between high. Song sweet only one sing. Fall. Clap. Hear. Yup. Tree tall noose sharp boot soft teeth. Snug. Start.

Circus For To Act

Lena Llama

Soft white nose in air haughty disdain neck smell somethin bad sure foot wonʼt let down neck do that soft thing be easy for tears see eye other might know she sad. Stay. Hide. Gingerbread. Donʼt go. Dug a hole for herself she did with disdain neck donʼt know how to change doin it always. Way. Cake. More quiet usual neck down low nose on ground booby expose on bra. Twitch. Sad. Alonely. Get neck lowerin lovin time back home sharin smelly nose place. Fleas on pup tights on cat, tiara on dad. Do se do. Not only one with head lowerin problem. Look around, them other just the same. Neck. Nose in air. Tear on eye level. Lena donʼt always practice walkin tightrope act not the right mood uphill. Dangereuse. Plop down belly all four them spindle leg splay out refuse to budge. Drag her make a nice dust mop. Hide under circus bed cozy white room she can get under that is. Large. Her. Round belly friend come coax her from under them damn mood in bed, nice critter fritter usually work not to mention neutral topic some stairs to climb. No color bird around. Neither.

Alice Long Neck Neck not specially vulnerable other than wardrobe shrink stretch at alarmin rate, cut off air supply slippin down hole eatin cookie, DONʼT, play croquet chubby queen bird mallet large head round voice, red rose tree, Tweedle Dee, dee.

Geoffrey Giraffe Trouble lettin down guard on neck might get et by some roamin kitty kat. Want to make friends be vulnerable, choose friend tall like tree. Food supply down low nice Cheerio in bowl other snack them nuzzlin feet up time warm neck down low. Too many. Not. Safe.

Geraldine Kangaroo Cookie lovin Baked good, store, pogo stick, self conscious order one of each. Her. Cookie. Junior, big cookie appetite. Lie. He like, she love, ecstasy. Cookie. Fat kangaroo hide baked good lovin. Pretend . Nobody think nothin cept themself. Hoppin up down street every day, bake good candy shop. Alternatin. Not knowin. They. Do. Themself. There. Donʼt care. Only.

Piano Bob Penguin Long head short leg teeth donʼt reach. Chord. Let ʻer slip that minor donʼt slide. Burger. Think. Donʼt. Dress like piece, put on. Hold on onion. Sharp.

Hillary Performin Piano Seal Quiet pianist sash round waist swing and sway play nice seem to enjoy, give credit to critical one say somethin smell bad like dead fish on piano playin. Cake bakin bread bakin he donʼt know, canʼt balance bounce ball play Mozart on head read Strindberg Steinbeck five course dinner, donʼt know where kitchen is, feed kitty wayfarin people back door teach piano playin student forget drop stop turn fall jump in out under round break arm see you next week. Practice. Click.

Donʼt know nothin cept critical. He. She bought. It. Sad. Joinin voices in head donʼt help piano performin career specially when they keep mumblin things like: Stop. Donʼt give seal warm and cozys right before steppin on stage. Unnervin. Need prop up ammo one can muster for to tackle concerto sweet note magic sing song stand on tippy toes. Reach. Big. Chopin. Stars.

Sweet critic from on sofa all day. High.

Hillary seal move away negative sofa dweller; friends in sea oily. Breathe, eat walk move. Canʼt. Black and blue. Ocean. Gunk. Help. Hillary left piano performin to help. Them pesky voice her head try to follow, get in way, critical inside out, only sofa sitter. Her. Forget. Think about someone, else. Dive. Literal. Gunk on brain. Get consume helpin greasy bird, forget to listen for voice. Takin a long nap or dead. Maybe. Sweet music. Nothin.

Back home piano practicin performin, start practicing piano playin composer long since forgot, need reviving like herself. Sweet music voice, her.

Hillary seal dance ball roll over clap fin go away come back want donʼt want back anyhow. Find how do what do all grow up wonʼt donʼt roll away come back unless she have the need. Do, see, be, want, go, stay. Nice piano playinʼ performer.

VII Copin In Wonderland

Silver Belle Girl

Stand. Door. Flesh at side. Arms long shine dress legs. Sparkle chin silver neck glass full. Hope. Don始t. Jitterbug heart. Anticipation door to door. Look. Hair done up lip full red, teeth white clench. Stand, stand, stand. The man. Open door look see past oil rust nail hammer, junk. There. Fox trot now. Look both way, neither or. Him. Swirl and swish. Fiddle dee dee. One of them could. Care. Dos se do allmande right left. Her. Sway. No one see. Dress flounce knee wet carpet on face. Stand still hope. Only.

Silver Belle Girl II

Long arm dress. Jitterbug heart. Door to door. Look teeth white clench fist stand her. Open eye Fox Trot now. Swish. Fiddle dee dee. Dos se do allmande right left. Her. Dress flounce knee wet carpet face. Oh. Stand still hope.

Gold Bead Eye I On all four bead caught on gold. Spatula hand sequin face. Gold ball gown seen better day. Wait til light is lo. You始ll see. Then. He won始t notice.

Gold Bead Eye II On all four, quietude, bead get caught on gold. Spatula hand sequin face. Gold ball gown seen better days. Wait in the forest when the light is lo. You始ll see. Them. Gold. Then.

Red Dress Run

Red. Run. Wait. Dismember. Deboard. Look, look. Climb that skyscraper front of your nose. Need help first step, is. Top floor might have, it. Sweet dream, red dress.

Girl In Two House I

She live in two house. One of them nice other not. One day she went out. To the store. Find if she was there maybe in the bread or carrot island. She was not either. Forlorn she not be crystal clear in her seeing of those other thing, about. Lettuce or turnip probably more in the fudge way. Leafy. Cocoa. Bean. She asked the shopkeeper if he knew her in the biblical sense not but in the knowing way as in does she look like Marilyn or Toulouse or someone of that eek. Finding a way out he looked looked at nothing in particular, her in particular. She want not to be in two house but one was the place he was there too listen to her play piano violin, doesnʼt matter play listen listen play. All day sit feet listen. Mac. Donʼt talk stick foot in mouth sweat turn strange pink lie leave fast no time for to listen to the sound. Donʼt watch she wonʼt go her way then. Where. Listen.

Girl In House II

She play all day all day she play piano too. Donʼt ask for much donʼt need. Only. Listen. Bob. Play and enjoy for to. Out not in. Happy. Feet for baskin. Instrument. Herself. Chopin. Confound kitty nice smile lemon cake chocolate for Johnny I, 2. Pretend is all. New house. Tipover dream, think then be. Never mind he donʼt vant she do plenty smelly fish in little pond big. Her. Go visit carrot lettuce man for mindless answer while spraying. Come home nice smile play piano for to listen. Call her Toulouse, sheʼll stay long. No remorse. Keep nice one give you torn. Okay. A hard time, me me. Plenty of fishy water. Crystal clear.

In The Window

Donʼt look see me need. Go. Settle. Walk on. By past. Donʼt. Call. Look see pink strutin skin lots. Swish swack elbow knee shoulder chest out. Side to side. Smilin. Knowin, her performin act. Enough light to set a fire who wouldnʼt wanna. Light for dark. Go, see the show. Upliftin Betty. Empty eye, nothing stupor, perch window, framed. Tree rose children. Him. Only. Eye big askance. Inside out. Maybe. Drape. Close.

Door I

Pry word clench teeth hard sharp hair black eyes talk face. Open. Run fingers my back gentle up down, talk Open door she come in. In between so long. Always. Starve. Holding me she say. Tender. Listen. Sit like that a month maybe. Listen, she say. Run through door where he is not. Want to open door he be there. She be back after one more look. Some nook or crannie. Your turn. Wait a while.

Door II

Out. Self. Side. Her. Key, Italy? Blue fairy move old out haul new hair robe in one think brown fowl smell might be refreshin. Then. Please new new. Find lovely door open twist knob gold frame find doin some suffocatin here her fowl smellin head, nose. Cluck.

Three Furious Girls

Melifluous

Baby under arm get be where what need food order help love through day, kill. Them. Him. Garbage window off couch dish baby; only tv girl beer whistling clothes earrin wearin chain for neck ring galore. She wear one too through nose. Busy, doin him all day.

Euphonia

Ground crackin test tube wheedling canvas paper movement music. Everyone. Could. Do. Easy. Shout, about. Not the magic part.

Melisandra

Soft talk straight voice war, listen they won始t. Sweet voice right say. Do. Not fire stoker though. Self righteous.

VIII Dorothy Dangereuse Dear

Rub nose wrong way dirt. Hard sell. Some. Deer.

Book?

Demon ground hard wrestle hell.

Red shoe.

Click.

Chopin.

NEILA MEZYNSKI is the author of Glimpses from Scrambler Books; a pamphlet from Greying Ghost Press; an e-chapbook from Patasola Press and chapbooks from Folded Word Press (2012), Mud Luscious Press and Deadly Chap Press. Mezynski is a Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee.