She, the Menken,
Byronic in flame
and force, mastered
the art of social media
long before technology caught up,
selling the illusion
of a man/
woman
bound naked to a horse;
she, the salacious Mazeppa,
incited a modern storm,
long before the 20th century caught up.

Adah Isaacs Menken, actress, poet, painter, 1835-1868



