John Biscello

It is the other stepsister,

the disinherited one,

known only as The Vamp,

who played dark foil

to Cinderella’s happiness,

when she seduced and blackmailed

the Prince, ignited a calculated run of scandals,

and forced Cinderella to yield the glass slipper,

which she painted black

and had vulcanized.

In this photo,

just recently unearthed,

she models both vanity and victory,

yet, ironically, some years later,

all that would remain of the burned Vamp

would be this leg, and this foot,

remnants of renegade taxidermy.

(Photo by Alfred Steiglitz).