The Ballad of Budha and Madam Vichy-Soisse (George Olsen 1994)
For the cocktail set and the Cogniscenti
There was wit and anecdotes aplenty
A flurry of feathers and swish of the tail
She never got ruffled but almost got jailed
A novelty and bilingual she found me
A prop that could talk, ideal for a party
No uppers or downers or sideways glances..
This girl don’t gargle, she only dances…
The difference between them was simple, of course…
It’s the ballad of budha and Madam Vichy-Soisse..
In an armour of gesture and nicotine
Madam replayed her comic routine
Like scripts on tapes inside her head
Who’s hunting, who’s captured…
Darling, who’s dead..
And Blue Eyes was oh-so-hard to pin down
A genius, a real man, maybe a clown
Was it true he could leave his whole body behind
As he flew through the air without thoughts in his mind?
The difference….
So look both ways before you cross…
It’s the ballad of Budha and Madam Vichy-Soisse..
Budha gave sermons on beauty and cruelty
A prop that could talk was ideal for a party
While Madam wore leather and spandex and lace
Her reputation known more than her face….
The difference….
So look both ways….