outside
behind the wheel he sat
waiting in her driveway— yet another
friday night false sense of hope
inside
barely twenty-five
she dramatically overweight
standing before her full-length childhood mirror
face neck arms and legs
an indiscriminate hodgepodge
of multi-colored tattoos and body piercings
hard evidence: a sad, mutilated history
of family neglect, hurtful names and social rejection
desperate the moments all
when she wished, prayed and vowed
to do anything a n y t h i n g
if she could only just be
someone else
her unforgiving reflection triggered her
all too familiar inner voice
that sometimes seeped into her consciousness
when she was alone
and in the dark…
dear god, who am I? will I ever be loved?
weighty and unwelcome her feelings
reflexively they gave way to the jarring sound
of his beckoning car horn ))) Dissipating
almost as quickly as they arrived
now— tight skirt, high heeled and heavily perfumed
she headed out her front door fiercely defending
her unexamined identity
as though it were an injured sparrow
fully armed with a lit cigarette and a painted smile
she determined
to drive once again
down
the
road
most frequently traveled