Jean Villepique








 




























The Rehearsal

 

This one is late, and that one can’t stand it.

Always only about five minutes--

But, sometimes almost ten.

And, that one cracks

Her mental knuckles,

As that one angles her heels for dragging.

 

The greeting is slightly forced.

The timing of the hug is off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Audition

 

Oh, I pretended to be a librarian today to try and get a job.

A librarian

Who thinks her male friend will love her--

Or, is proposing.

But--

He doesn’t and he isn’t.

And, oh,

I pretended to be crushed.

And, then,

I pretended to get ready to get even.

 

If I can pretend all of this, and look like I am in my late twenties,

I might get health care or a new car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Costume

 

The tights are a little small--

The stomach leans over and out.

Close to the end of the period--

Masturbation is not an option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cold

 

When

did I

become

the person

who checks the mucus in the tissue?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Meal

These are the things I will have forgotten in the retelling--
How early 15 minutes early is
Before the sun has come up

At 5:15
How a free breakfast is sad
When I will only eat the oatmeal for health
What it's like to sit in this on-location mobile "dining room"--
Alone in the dark,
looking at my one strawberry in there for comfort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Viewing

 

My television is so small and thick

Nothing fits on its tiny screen anymore.

In a scene where two actors stand far apart,

I maybe get--

The tips of their faces

Their hands flashing in an argument.

Mostly I see--

The wall behind them.

The kitchen counter between them.

Or, the fish tank.

 

It is more of a voice-over this way,

And, the fish are the ones arguing about you never loved me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






















Jean Villepique is from New Jersey, then Chicago, then New York, and now Los Angeles. She wrote and performed at The Second City in Chicago for several years and now works as a writer and actress in Los Angeles.  She is also in a duo called The Artists, performing light rock covers in the greater Los Angeles area with one Kit Pongetti.

 



 

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