the next keats meets his next muse

After the Better Than Naked fashion show, the candles lining¹ the runway were removed and red and blue strobe lights began to zoom² against the black velvet³ walls. DJ Sassy broke out the phat French house beats, and the Harrison Street Club was transformed into a seventies European disco full of half-naked ninety-pound models drinking Cristal champagne⁵ straight out of the bottle. Dan stood alone by the bar, sipping⁶ his Red Bull?and-who-knew-what-else cocktail⁷. It tasted exactly like baby aspirin⁸ and he was only drinking it because the bartender had promised him it was loaded with caffeine and something called taurine, which was guaranteed to keep him hyperawake all night. All of a sudden he noticed a violently tall woman wearing a flaming red bouffant⁹ wig¹⁰?ithad to be a wig?neon pink lipstick¹¹, andhuge tortoise-shell sunglasses standing¹² in the middle of the packed room with her hands cupped around her mouth. ?Daniel Humphrey? Calling Daniel Humphrey!? she shrieked¹³. It was Rusty¹⁴ Klein. Dan tilted¹⁵ his head back and downed his drink, blinking his eyes as the caffeine and whatever else was in his drink rushed to his brain all at once. He stumbled over to the woman, his heart thumping¹⁶ even faster than the music. ?I?m Dan,? he croaked¹⁷. ?Lookatyou ! Our newpoet ! You?readorable !Perfect !? Rusty Klein pushed her enormous sunglasses up on top of her head and jangled the enormous gold bracelets¹⁸ covering her long bony wrists as she grabbed Dan and kissed each of his cheeks. Her perfume smelled oily and acidic, like tuna fish. ?I love you, honey,? she purred, squeezing Dan tight. Dan shrank away, unused to being manhandled by someone he?d only just met. He hadn?t expected Rusty Klein to be soscary . Her eyebrows¹⁹ had been dyed to match her wig and she was dressed like a sword fighter, in a form-fitting black velvet Better Than Naked puffy-sleeved jacket and matching black velvet bullfighting pants. A rope of black pearls clung to her pale, bony cleavage. ?I?ve been trying to write more poems,? Dan stammered²⁰. ?You know, for my book?? ?Wonderful!? Rusty Klein shouted, thrusting her lips at him again and probably smearing²¹ bright pink lipstick all over his face. ?Let?s make a lunch date sometime next week.? ?Um, I?ve got school all day every day next week, but I get out at three-thirty.? ?School!?Rusty screamed. ?You?re socute ! We can do tea then. Call my office and have Buckley, my assistant, set it up. Oh, fuck me!? She clasped Dan?s arm with a clawlike hand. Her fingernails were at least three inches long and painted orangey pink. ?There?s someone here you absolutelymust meet.? Rusty let go of Dan and held out her arms to receive a frail²²-looking girl with a long, sad face and dirty blond hair. The girl was wearing only a see-through light pink slip over her gaunt frame and her lank²³, waist-length hair was uncombed, as if she?d just gotten out of bed. ?Mystery Craze, this is Daniel Humphrey. Daniel, this is Mystery,? Rusty purred loudly. ?Mystery, honey, you remember that poem I gave you to read? The one you said . . . Oh, fuck me. I?ll letyou tell him what you said. Now if you?ll excuse me, I?m going to go lick my favorite designer?s ass⁴ so he?ll give me some new free clothes. Love you both. Ciao!? she added, before striding away in her five-inch black stilettos. Mystery blinked her huge, tired gray eyes. She looked like she?d been up all night cleaning floors, like Cinderella. ?Your poem saved my life,? she confided²⁴ to Dan in a low, husky voice. A tall, narrow glass of something bright red was wedged into her frail hand. ?It?s Campari,? she said when she noticed him looking at it. ?Want a taste?? Dan never drank anything that wasn?t caffeinated. He shook his head no and tucked his black notebook under his arm. Then he lit a Camel and took a long drag. There, that was much better. Now at least he?d have something to do, even if he couldn?t think of anything to say. ?So, are you a poet, too?? he asked. Mystery stuck her thumb into her drink and then licked it off. The corners of her mouth were stained red with Campari, making her look like a little girl who?d just eaten a cherry Popsicle. ?I write poems and short stories. And I?m working on a novel about cremation²⁵ and premature²⁶ death. Rusty says I?m the next Sylvia Plath,? she answered. ?What about you?? Dan sipped²⁷ his drink. He wasn?t sure what she meant by premature death. Was there ever a right time to die? He wondered if he should write a poem about it, but then again, he didn?t want to steal Mystery?s material. ?I?m supposed to be the next Keats.? Mystery dunked her thumb into her drink again and then licked it off. ?What?s your favorite verb?? Dan took another drag off his cigarette and blew smoke into the crowded, noisy room. He wasn?t sure if it was the club, or the music, or the caffeine, or the taurine, but he felt so alive andso good at that very moment, talking about words with this girl named Mystery whose life he had saved. He was seriously digging it. ?Dying, I guess,? he answered, finishing his drink and setting the empty glass down on the floor. ?The verbto die .? He knew it must have sounded like he was trying to impress her. After all, she was writing a book about premature death and cremation. But it was the truth. Almost all of his poems really were about dying. Dying of love, dying of anger, dying of boredom²⁸, of anxiety; falling asleep and never waking up. Mystery smiled. ?Me too.? Her gray eyes and long, thin face were starkly²⁹ beautiful, but her front teeth were crooked³⁰ and yellow, like she?d never been to the dentist in her entire life. She snagged another Red Bull cocktail from a waiter?s tray and handed it to Dan. ?Rusty says poets are the next movie stars. One day we?ll both be riding around in limos with our bodyguards³¹.? She sighed heavily. ?As if that will make life any easier.? She raised her glass and clinked it against his. ?To poetry,? she announced grimly. Then she grabbed the back of Dan?s head and pulled him toward her, crushing his lips in a deep, Campari-soaked kiss. Dan knew he should have thrown Mystery off, protesting that he had a girlfriend, that he was in love. He shouldn?t have enjoyed being hit on by a strange, practically naked girl with yellow teeth. But Mystery?s lips tasted sweet and sour at the same time and he wanted to understand why she was so sad and so tired. He wanted todiscover her, the way he sometimes discovered the perfect metaphor³² when he was in the middle of writing a poem, and to do that he had to keep kissing her. ?What?s your favorite noun?? he breathed into her ear when he came up for air. ?Sex,? she answered, diving for his lips again. Dan grinned as he kissed her back. It might have been the taurine, but sometimes it just feels good to be bad.

1 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

2 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

3 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

4 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

5 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

6 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

7 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

8 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

9 bouffant   

adj.（发式、裙子等）向外胀起的

参考例句：

• Her short brown hair was curled in a puffy bouffant hairdo.她棕色的卷卷的短发蓬松鼓起。
• For example,in the late 1960 s women became tired of bouffant hairstyles and sought new looks.例如在20世纪60年代后期，妇女开始对蓬松的发型感到厌倦,开始追求新的形象。

10 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

11 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

14 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

15 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

16 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 croaked   

v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说

参考例句：

• The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢，”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

18 bracelets   

n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

20 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

21 smearing   

污点，拖尾效应

参考例句：

• The small boy spoilt the picture by smearing it with ink. 那孩子往画上抹墨水把画给毁了。
• Remove the screen carefully so as to avoid smearing the paste print. 小心的移开丝网，以避免它弄脏膏印。

22 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

23 lank   

adj.瘦削的；稀疏的

参考例句：

• He rose to lank height and grasped Billy McMahan's hand.他瘦削的身躯站了起来，紧紧地握住比利·麦默恩的手。
• The old man has lank hair.那位老人头发稀疏

24 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 cremation   

n.火葬，火化

参考例句：

• Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网

26 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

27 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

28 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

29 starkly   

adj. 变硬了的,完全的 adv. 完全,实在,简直

参考例句：

• The city of Befast remains starkly divided between Catholics and Protestants. 贝尔法斯特市完全被处在天主教徒和新教徒的纷争之中。
• The black rocks stood out starkly against the sky. 那些黑色的岩石在天空衬托下十分显眼。

30 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

31 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

32 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。