“THE UNDERWRITING”

gunslinger girl
the best shot in town
at least that’s what
the script says
she wears a false face
dust-streaked and drawn up
just as they like
beautiful and unmuscled
but somehow a soldier
the good foil for a
bad boy
upholding justice and
peace
but not as
fun
romance ensues
outlaws ride
weapons drawn
her guns are no use here
so says the plot
body on the train tracks
she stares at the sky
chemtrails and atomic plumes
of her different time
the train rages closer
but not as fast as
his horse
thank you, savior
happily ever after
she dumps the bullets
in the ravine
she takes off her costume
and she jumps
too

— Brenna Boytim writes about ghosts, regrets, and reveries. She has recently been published in Fifty-Word Stories. You can find her haunting twitter @hi_thisisbrenna