Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Poem in a Carol-Ann Duffy style from the POV of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, only years later.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

They’re all gone now. I’m the last.

Scarecrow became fire kindling,

Tin Man became Tin Can

Got recycled.

 

Cowardly Lion is pushing up daisies in the woodland floor.

Some fitting ending for the “King of the Forest” huh?

Glinda flew off to fairy heaven,

The Muntchkins dropped off the face of the earth

And Toto rests eternal in a pet cemetery.

 

My ruby slippers stopped fitting years ago.

They pinched my wizened old lady ankles last time I tried

To recapture my youth.

And the blue gingham dress?

My bingo wings and middle aged spread put an end to the idea

Of ever squeezing into that again.

 

The heavenly voice that belonged to the little girl of decades ago,

The one that sang about places over the rainbow, is nothing more than a hoarse croak.

Too many Marlboros over the years I guess.

 

How did I become this decrepit creature?

Sat in a wheelchair all day; the effects of arthritis. The b*****d.

These defective legs won’t go skipping down the yellow brick road anytime soon.

 

I wonder if that’s still there?

The yellow bricks will have faded by now, bleached by the sun,

Started crumbling, weeds and dandelions popping through the cracks.

 

The Emerald City is more than likely gone,

Green paint peeled off the walls, vandals marking their spot with graffiti.

Kids these days.

 

You know, it’s funny.

The next time I see ‘over the rainbow’

I’ll be headed for a bright white light.

Author's Note

I appreciate any comments. My only request is please make any crticism constructive -x-

Reviews

[W.k.kortas]

It's a very clever concept, and you carry the theme through nicely, and I think you catch the right balance in tone between the cynical and the wistful. It is awfully prose-y and straight ahead--it's a bit like one of those movies where you get a few quick words on what happened to each character; I think the piece would be more effective if it came at the events in Dorothy's and the remaining characters lives a little more indirectly. This has all the elements of a fine piece; it just needs a little tweaking.

[Joseph - Michael]

You know, I've always enjoyed reading all kind of stories / poems that are like a spoof with morbid sense of humor and you've written it so well and I'm pretty much amused by that...

Anyway, it's a really worth reading, so it's all good tho...

[Samuel Dickens]

Your poem is very clever, Jenna. A little depressing perhaps, but entertaining. (I'm glad you didn't mention Judy's little drinking problem.)

About constructive criticism, I wish everyone would have good manners and be nice in that regard, but alas, the world is full of stinkers. Thanks for sharing your fine work. Samuel Dickens