The Haunting

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