The Lady is a Tramp

It happened incrementally
I needed the dough
I was in a lot of trouble
I went to the library
I needed to come up with 40 bucks
to get my kitty�s, Doris�s, tests back.

I took a couple of Fanny Brice letters
slipped them in my sneakers
sold them to a place called Argosy.
They would pay more for better content.
A big white space at the bottom of a letter
after, 'yours truly, Fanny Brice�
I got an old typewriter
I wrote a couple of hot sentences
improved the letter and elevated the price.

�I have a hangover out of Gounod�s Faust�
�canny old Kraut remains one of my most cherished friends�
�a bright, talented actress,
quite attractive since she dealt
with her monstrous English overbite.��

larky and fun and totally cool

Is it absolution she�s seeking, or admiration?

On and off welfare,
a horror beyond my talent to describe
My most enduring memory
is the odour in the elevators:
eau de desperation!



From Lee Israel, literary forger - obituary, The Telegraph, 24 February 2015. Submitted by Grace Andreacchi.