Role Playing Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Strange - when mom talks about moving to the
Cape as decided a week ago, her voice seems
strained as if she’s role playing - it sounds more
like one off to her doom ‘delighted’ to be sinking
into Hades with the Phantom of the Opera

Such is the case: my Duchess-twin is the first
Phantom and dad - Conan the Barbarian - the
second; both overbearing and bullying mom to
take an ethical ‘ought-to’ route; she ought-to be
glad to be moving to the Cape, grateful

To be supporting the Duchess - Mom’s whole life
has been centred on ‘ought’ starting with marrying
Conan, believing herself obliged to uplift him - not
consulting her own feelings, later asserting them-
selves in her becoming a Queen of Hearts

Living a private life beyond Conan’s crudeness, as
a Phantom Queen she could never play a forgiving
Christine to redeem his mentally disfigured being &
she loses all rational sense when faced with my sis,
even I lose all intelligence when my twin -

The peppery-tongued Duchess – is in charge…