Monday 22 February 2016

What Katie Did First!

The year was 1988 and a 14-year-old London school girl named Kate Moss was on her first fashion shoot. 
Photographer Owen Scarbiena advised: 'Pretend you're bored waiting at the bus stop." The rest became international fashion history and the early pictures snapped by Scarbiena are now on display at the Zebra One Art and Photography Gallery, London.














Bus Stop

Gimme your best pout, love.
The sort you’d offer any
passing lout, pet.

Pretend you’re bored stiff, sweet.
It’s a rainy Tuesday after school,
doll. Lean like so against the bus
stop pole, let its metalled frame
lay you back; we’ll fast-track you
to the stars, chuck.

You’re desperate to ape cool,
hon’. Let me see you drop that
lower lip; the one that as a rule
makes Mum itch to slap your
bloody face, scrub off all trace
of forbidden fun.

Try ‘fed up’, dear; the already
twice around the block; done
it all; ‘I’m past fourteen; don’t
nag; I’ll snort it up, spit it out –
nothing tastes as good as
skinny feels’ look.

But when you’re forty-plus
and suddenly understand
that all flesh is grass, you’ll
pout again, love. 
This time, for real.

© Natalie Wood (22 February 2016)

1 comment:

Natalie Wood said...

There's nowt like a pout when you're out!