A day in free verse poetry
On the Starbucks lanai
dappled sunlight
watching the trains go by
iced grande green tea
sweetened
two dollars and thiry one
cents a day
after spin class
on a warm spring day
I stay hydrated and,
finished chatting,
head to DeCicco’s for
taco meat.
It’s Monday
So that is
dinner always
before piano practice and after
tennis, perhaps a stop at
the candy store
Where I steal a mini
peanut butter cup from Andrew’s
thoughtfully curated bag.
“Hey!” he shouts, but I unwrap
it and, pop, into my mouth it goes.
There are no calories from candy
meant for your kids;
everybody
knows that.
Zoe’s collection is mostly
chewy and bad
for my temporary crown.
I dig through and hand it back.
I could have bought
a Celine bag
with the money spent
on endodontics
but I needed
the new tooth
and the pocketbook
is always only a fantasy
like the beach house
and the movie deal
so I wave
to my reflection
in the storefront window
whenever I drive by.
There are always
nice things, as
my mother would say.
Finished shopping
for camp clothes
all labeled
Andrew’s first time away.
Upon safe return,
will he still let me kiss
him in public?
Do you have time for a mani-pedi?
a friend asks.
I have a book to sell and another
to write
(there’s always something
to write, a text, an email
a pin, a tweet)
but sure, mademoiselle.
Zoe and I will bond in July,
hang out at the town pool
apply sunscreen
and be lazy together.
There’s so much
I don’t know.
An uncertain world,
I manage it
through certain, predictable routines,
and try not to worry
like Brett does
as another train passes.
Digging through the junk,
we find small bits of beauty,
and in that way
life is like the sidewalk sale.
I drink it in.
And that’s my tale.
Looking forward to
summertime in the ‘dale.
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