Rita Tushingham
Sprouted
From the closed ranks
Of tall pine
wood
She attacked
The enemy
On all sides
Like a film star
In a public bar
“Wanted”
Film star
Said the card
In the unemployment office
Rita applied
Straightaway
She made up
Her character
From a poem
By Lancaster
Maybe
Acting is like that
You can’t tell fact
From fiction
Nothing is real
Do what you feel
Said the law
Of disorder
Director
Of disaster
Rita Tushingham
Appeared in the little window
Hello neighbour
Are you in a film
About a girl
Fighting the dreams of others
Yes and never having time
For your own
Well yes I am
As a matter of fact
Cum ere you
Tell me what you know
I won’t bite
Rita Tushingham
Broke the mould
Of movie queens
And simply said
That time is dead
Let’s move on
Down the dusty street
Of working-class towns
Where pop up
Film stars
Appeared in windows
Doing the dishes
And crying with the babies
When hubby returns
From war
Looking like a tomcat
Dragged back
From a cat-fight
Dear Rita
All this is tosh
I only know you
Because you became the boss
In a film
About our lives
Back in 65
