Betty Short The Black Dahlia

Her story and murder is one that has captured the imagination of many and inspired more than a fair share of writers to commit pen to paper. She is a gothic muse if ever there was such a thing…

Murdered at the ripe age of 22, her body defiled by God knows who and left out in the open on 39th and Norton in a a once budding part of Los Angeles.

Her story is one of mystery and intrigue.  July 29th was her birthday.  It was about that time this summer that I got to work on these.  The first one, in free verse, was my brain storm that lead into the villanelle. 

Thanks for reading.

Betty I think I saw you once With that extended smile and broken teeth. But I saw you before… Before. Before you met… Who were you? What dreams you had? What dreams you lost? How far you were willing to go? How far did you have to run? Was your soul already severed before… Before you met… Black hair. Black… forget it, it’s overrated. And shampooed. I think I owe you an apology. I think we all do. How could we have stopped you? How could we have saved you? Why was the Biltmore so appealing? What did they say?  What did he promise? How were you seduced? How much was the price of your fame? Before… Before you met… Sliced. Diced. Drained. Beaten. Bruised. Battered. Left. Innocent Victim? I’m so sorry. So sorry. Where was your fly boy savior? He never came. Instead it was… Please forgive us all. For not finding and naming… Your killer. Betty Short I think I saw you once, but that was before you met… What dreams you had; what dreams came true. How much was the cost of your fame? What did he promise? What did he say? How could you have let… Where did you go, from the Biltmore, after the sun had set? Missing almost a week; did you know him? Was he an old flame? I think I saw you once, but that was before you met… Did he say he’d make you famous? Were you gonna be a starlet? But that was before the monster made us all know your name. What did he promise? What did he say? How could you have let..
Smoke rises, ashtray’s full, muted trumpet in the background, smoke your last cigarette. Sliced, Diced, Beaten, Broken, Battered, Drained, Left, No Shame. I think I saw you once, but that was before you met… Who could have done such a thing? How did you become his puppet? Why did you go with him!?! You naive, stupid, dreamy dame! What did he promise? What did he say? How could you have let… Legs left open; stuffed; displayed, frayed, nothing let private. Your wish came true, finally famous, look at what you became. I think I saw you once, but that was before you met… What did he promise? What did he say? How could you have let… Links For Further Study

• Enter The Black Dahlia Web Site
  About the gruesome killing of Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia. Beth Short was murdered in 1947.
• Black Dahlia – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• The Black Dahlia Story: The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Short Black Dahlia Intro Crime Library on
  Known as the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short was a pretty young aspiring actress who was horribly murdered and mutilated in Hollywood’s most notorious unsolved case.
• Ellroy.com
  This site is dedicated to crime fiction writer James Ellroy, writer of L.A. Confidential, My Dark Places and American Tabloid.
• Steve Hodel – New York Times Bestselling Author of Black Dahlia Avenger and Most Evil

Read

	The Black Dahlia Amazon Price: $3.79 List Price: $7.50
	Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder Amazon Price: $10.98 List Price: $17.95
	Black Dahlia Avenger: The True Story Amazon Price: $5.34 List Price: $15.95
	The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul, and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles Amazon Price: $2.49 List Price: $15.95
	Childhood Shadows: The Hidden Story of the Black Dahlia Murder Amazon Price: $17.00 List Price: $20.75
	Exquisite Corpse: Surrealism and the Black Dahlia Murder Amazon Price: $3.20 List Price: $35.00