Chez Bernadine

after Frank O’Hara’s ‘Chez Jane’

Have you ever seen such a collection of toy lighthouses? Wood, ceramic, plastic, papier-mâché; the artistic amid the kitsch. They pepper the oak shelves either side of the television, on the likely chance its view of a newly refurbished house or an actor’s perfect teeth proves less than satisfying and your best chance of transport lies in the choice of one of these little lighthouses and an imaginative journey it is your turn to supply. Consider that tall white one with the single broad red stripe: standing at its base, facing a sea crashing again and again on the rocks below, feeling the spray misting your face, you. You!