journey to my smile

there may be a scintilla somewhere,
in the ashes of what was.
there may be, darlin, a taste of hope
for good times with someone:
someone along the way,
but i'm not lookin for him anymore,
'cause i'd rather find my smile.
it's bridget jones on my own,
but i respect it all the same
because i built this life, and i have no shame.
yes, i can tear it down unless
i care to hang around
for some sweet sensation who knows when.

i keep a journal in my purse
and a song in my head,
and occasionally i sleep an entire night in bed;
but i still wake up before the alarm
as it all wells in my head.
i roll over still not playin dead.
you've got to yield to passing traffic;
you've got to know who's in the car.
you have to have some solace
when you can't go that far.

i lost my dictionary, bought a new one,
and now i have two someplace:
old eloquence speaks loudly
while i forget how to spell words.
i want to ask about your day
and tell you a story of my own:
every new man is a starting over,
but my avidness has flown
out an open window on the interstate,
playing zeppelin as loud as i can stand.
sometimes i am angry, and otherwise i am proud:
ultimately i make a life of contentedness
irregardless of the flow of seasons
or the journey of wrinkles to my smile.
it'd still be nice to hear from you
once in a while.

personal shoppers

*this is my observance of a special section within my store, catering to well-to-do women about town

alone or in pairs of in-laws,
they are here for the experience.
attention, attendants, a suggestion
with an air of pomp and intimacy:
as though a friend was invited
to view a spacious closet.
personal shoppers are instant,
never shocked, always comfortable
seeing bare feet on the carpet,
tiptoeing from the dressing room
in the middle of the week,
in the middle of an afternoon.
"what do you think?
does it fit me well?"
each woman has a name,
a smile, and a story like the rest.
for a moment, in the sharing of opinions,
we are in the same circle,
living the same life.
to have, to be, to retain appearances
is to constantly maintain status,
for on the outside a nice jacket
sets off the conversation swimmingly.