SILVER SCREEN STARLET (online exclusive)

By Ana Cecilia Martinez

The Americana princess was posed and spotlighted by burnished tungsten lamps. 

Her lips stained with Lolita-red paint, contrasting the perfect blonde pin curls.

The silver screen sweetheart!

A relic of the queens before her!

She knew not to whom they referred, though.

Through thick and heavy batted lashes the beloved Americana princess,

she saw the woman prancing on a small monitor—her movement precise, graceful.

How eloquently she moves!

An asset to the industry!

She recognized the woman, but she did not know her.

The marks on her arms disguised through airbrushed makeup

and her contaminated blood unbeknownst to all who watch the

“untouched goddess” on film and screen.

I want to be just like her!

What an image of perfection!

What she saw were fragments of herself and her life.

The burning in her nostrils and liver could equally remain unseen forever.

It is a small price to pay for the impeccable next money-making Marilyn Monroe.

A visage like that—she’s unforgettable!

What a striking presence!

She wondered who that person would be if they got out alive.