James Dean
You with your tough guy look,
Hands shoved deep in empty pockets,
That cigarette hanging out of your mouth.
Were you ever shy, Jimmy?
Did you ever stand in a corner,
With that strong jaw, watching
The real rebels rumble? Did you
Run, Jimmy, because the going got tough?
Wanting to tell the old man to suck it
But instead escaped to the silver screen?
James Dean lived like Achilles;
Short and glorious.
Was it good, Jimmy, poor Jimmy, while it lasted?
~
Jay Collier is a recent graduate of Transylvania University. He currently works at a bookstore to save up for an MFA program. He has participated in "The Twenty" for two years, working with many wonderful and talented writers, including Nikky Finney, Joyce Dyer, Jan Eisenhower, A.J. Verdelle, Crystal Wilkinson, and Julia Johnson.
~
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