By Randy Ai
PART I
He is haunted by her image
His supermodel ex-girlfriend
Born at a time when
Goddesses still walked the earth
She is now more beautiful than ever
Her photos seem so new and fresh
They taunt him
And quietly enter his dreams
Once again she has become his fantasy girl –
The girl to admire from afar
The one in all the magazines
And beyond the reach of mortal men
He watches as she grows older
Embarking on adventures without him
And dating other men
As her life replays again in his mind
PART II
His memories of her
Are manipulated to fit his needs
He has melted away her cold demeanour
And in his imagination
He has given her a personality
That she never possessed
They play together, travel, and
Walk side by side, holding hands
They are free to make love
As they should have done
Finally he can truly enjoy her body
(For the very first time)
Having spent the better half of two years
Dating a manikin
He thinks himself satisfied
To have replaced her neurotic bedroom antics
And sexual apathy
With something more palatable
In truth, she often annoyed him
She would complain like a little girl
Be demanding and callous
Pout and be impenetrable
He loved her nonetheless
Little girl and all
She was still his girlfriend
Despite being made of ice
PART III
The colony is lost –
The jewel in the empire’s crown
Ignited in the flames of independence
And drifted away
Without her, the centre cannot hold
And the empire is collapsed
The greatest conquest of our time
Becomes but faded history
The ruins of this great nation
Are now scattered in all directions
With no champion to hold
These peoples together
We cobble together the pieces
Whatever that is left
Holding them tightly in our hands
Looking aimlessly westward
