Ashley Centers, "Jane Austen and John Lennon in Heaven"
I was quite taken with the conceit of this one. Clever.
Jane Austen and John Lennon in Heaven
They call each other ‘J.’ John picks
red, red roses in Mansfield Park and brings
them to Jane. She explains instant karma to him.
In heaven Jane wears her hair short, sports
fringed bellbottoms and teashades.
John has meat on his bones now; prefers black slacks
and button ups, a trucker hat from Abbey Road.
They take long drives and often sing songs.
He says they’ll remain lovers. Until the end.
Jane’s novels now contain leather, VW buses,
electricity, space shuttles, computers, Madonna and Marilyn
Monroe. The rock’n’roll makes her sway her hips in the rain.
John likes himself with peace. This morning
he will play guitar and sing ‘For He Was Rich, and
She Was Handsome' to the tune of ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun.’
Jane will two-step and whistle. Alone
by the fireplace later, they’ll listen to the raindrops
and doze. They will not think of Mr. Darcy
or Yoko Ono. They know why God made them
roommates. It’s because the world
was their playground. It’s because
an artist cannot do anything
slovenly. It’s because
all you need is love.
Jane Austen and John Lennon in Heaven
They call each other ‘J.’ John picks
red, red roses in Mansfield Park and brings
them to Jane. She explains instant karma to him.
In heaven Jane wears her hair short, sports
fringed bellbottoms and teashades.
John has meat on his bones now; prefers black slacks
and button ups, a trucker hat from Abbey Road.
They take long drives and often sing songs.
He says they’ll remain lovers. Until the end.
Jane’s novels now contain leather, VW buses,
electricity, space shuttles, computers, Madonna and Marilyn
Monroe. The rock’n’roll makes her sway her hips in the rain.
John likes himself with peace. This morning
he will play guitar and sing ‘For He Was Rich, and
She Was Handsome' to the tune of ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun.’
Jane will two-step and whistle. Alone
by the fireplace later, they’ll listen to the raindrops
and doze. They will not think of Mr. Darcy
or Yoko Ono. They know why God made them
roommates. It’s because the world
was their playground. It’s because
an artist cannot do anything
slovenly. It’s because
all you need is love.