A Poem by Lucy Holme

Divorce Reimagined as Villanelle in Iconic Pink Tulle

—after ‘I’ll deal with him later’ Killing Eve – Series 1, episode 2

From Pepto-Bismol froth, a Baby-doll,
Enmeshed a likely victim in her thrall
And spun a web with which to trap a soul.

Oksana craved the kill, her skin aglow,
In pink organza tulle she made him crawl,
through Pepto-Bismol froth, her Baby-doll.

Who guessed la petite mort would take its toll?
That Vienna in the Spring he’d see no more
While she spun her hot pink web to trap his soul.

Back then, I was so young and didn’t know
The way remorse can knock you to the floor
Emerge from under froth, his Baby-doll.

I stalk the past, a lifetime of close calls
In dresses creased and wedding albums torn;
The old white web that failed to trap my soul.

Assassin-like I walked away from all
Our vows, rose up – enlightened by the dawn –
From Pepto-Bismol froth, a Baby-doll
Slashed the white web, which almost trapped a soul.

Lucy Holme is a poet and mother from Kent who lives in Cork, Ireland. Her poems feature in Southword, Iamb, and Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal, amongst others. She is currently studying for an MA in Creative Writing at UCC and her debut chapbook, Temporary Stasis, which was shortlisted for The Patrick Kavanagh Award, will be published by Broken Sleep Books in August 2022.