Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya

“The dark stub gypsy

woman suddenly there”

—Ted Hughes, “The Gypsy,”

Birthday Letters

______________________

Rheims wasn’t much—

Lots of boring old tonnage

Up-spearing spires leaning—

Outta stained glass shadows

The oppressive heavy weight—

Of secretive, sacred Paris

Dunking my buttered croissant—

In the café’s hot chocolate

Writing postcards back home—

Minding my own business

An old gimpy gypsy kunt—

Tries to tell my fortune

“Fuck off,” I tell her curtly—

“Go back to your Wolfman dive”

Maria Ouspenskaya queers me—

“Vous Créverez bientôt” she hisses

Superstitious Ted is terribly upset—

Slips the old bitch 20 bucks