Absolution
Rent from DeepDyve- Absolution
The Thin Man
". . . when things go glimmering."
—F. Scott Fitzgerald
A boozy iridescence descends in the Decopenthouse of Nick and Nora Charles,Christmastime, '34, waiters glidingamong the effervescent guests,carrying the perfect mix of cocktailsand cigarettes, which has eased all out oftheir toughened skins. Those who needed beautyflash gorgeous profiles, thosewho needed strength lift the dance floorinto the heavens, those in the darkabout their needs feel the blindfold [End Page 143] loosen. Look at that mobster: "Mom,"he sobs into the phone. It's sweeterthan killing his most hated rival. On the sofa,a former old fart unlocks the blonde vamp'slacquered stare. Presto: The Kiss.Slouched by the potted palm, Deathorders a double, which clacks on its teeth,sloshes down its neckbone onto the parquetry.
William Trowbridge's poetry collections are Enter Dark Stranger, O Paradise, Flickers, and The Complete Book of Kong. His poems have also appeared in such periodicals as the Gettysburg Review, the Iowa Review, the Georgia Review, Poetry, and New Letters. He lives in the Kansas City area and teaches in the University of Nebraska low-residency MFA writing program.
