Intertitles: Poems about Movies: “Gunslinger”
“You’re a loser.”
“Nobody loses all the time.”
–Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
“Pourquoi, Jef?”
“On m’a payé pour cà.”
–Le Samouraï (1967)
If I were to raise a hero
I’d say, “Always get the money first,”
Make sure he learns the weight of bills
Before he ever lifts a piece.
And if he asks about women,
My answer would be
I don’t know,
Don’t make it all about your loss
Or her your passive savior.
The only lesson after that
I’ll shout to my dying child,
Deaf to me on screen,
Who’ll ask me where he left the script
When he performs it flawlessly.
