Our Women’s History Month celebration would hardly be complete without the queen of them all, Cleopatra!

We offer a nine poem series.

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Recorded Reading (0:46): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2h9sd7hymfq06cx8mcysg/cleo-four.mp3?rlkey=zxm9xug4lhuxgw396hmf3hbge&dl=0

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cleo four

i asked her:
did you really drink pearls in vinegar?

she laughed
oh yes, she said

i learned the first time
it tasted terrible, but

observing the awestruck expressions
on the faces of courtiers and guests

i hid
my pucker

then and
many times after

realizing that it added greatly
to my fabled mystique

it did indeed —
they’re still talking about it!

… a most useful
device

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Until removal of the stalker/targeter/vandal/arsonist following her allows her to approach any landlord ~ even for a private parking space ~ and to begin once again to create professional connections and to rebuild her life, this poet presently lives homeless and at a fraction of her nation’s poverty level ~ still working seven days a week to contribute to her society, however.

Arts patrons may visit http://www.UgiftABLE.com , using code #72D-31S, or choose to send a personal check to the poet’s ABLE account. It takes about two weeks for the poet to be notified of your patronage.

Thank you for supporting quality in the fine arts.