artwork: ralph murre
Radium
Girls, 1924
Radium
Dial Plant, Ottawa , Illinois
by
Peg Bresnahan
The
tips of their tongues moistened
the
brushes that daubed the dials
of
clocks with a glow they thought
would
last forever, but
it
was the same as any comet’s
kiss,
too close, too long. They painted
their
nails and skin with its salts,
combed
their hair, brushed their teeth
with
it for that razz-ma-tazz look.
Young
and ready to shine,
they
sipped phosphorous cocktails,
danced
the Charleston
in
shadowed nightclubs until dawn.
Wrapped
in pure energy they glowed,
most
beautiful in the dark.
~
Previously published in the
2013
Press 53 Open Awards Anthology
