Pictures of old film stars stuck on the wall

Smoking their cigarettes, scooting in Rome

Clipped eyebrows, padded shoulders, men looked tall

But weren’t; perfected in old monochrome

Monroe holding Yves Montand disc at home

Kath Hepburn wearing the trousers, and proud

Tousle-haired Marlon and James Dean in bloom

Marlene leaner, Greta better. How’d

They look today, now smoking’s not allowed

Now dressing-up’s not done; no dress at all

That wavy hair’s a no-no, so’s a comb

They’d find a way to stand out from the crowd

They’d find a way to make themselves seem tall

Acting out roles in life’s visual poem

This was inspired by the pictures on my daughter's wall