Will Cinderella's Slipper Fit Again?

For Ted

The kitchen sink is humped with rinsed
dirty dishes. Why do cockroaches like to 
be near water? Boxer shorts, T’s & socks 
drying in kitchen on wooden rack. Aged
gourmet chili simmers on stove. She's
bringing the wine. Apartments down the
hall scream with children.

Maybe she'd rather hitchhike
through a McDonald's drive-thru lane?
Then remembered a framed faded sign 
I saw earlier today in second-hand
bookstore, “God forced us at birth
to accept our parents.”
Did I touch my true heart
long before I could say the words from it?

Take me to who I am.

Statement hard on street today,
or was it a joke?

“Is it true guys prefer skinny girls
with cancer
to healthy girls with bulging thighs?”

Why do girls make guys feel 
they've endured a long, strenuous trip
just being there? Still you wonder,
if during a SIZ night, when you step into
your favorite bar, maybe your true Cinderella
will be there just this once… 

How much suffering must be endured 
to make the words work? Are there
words enough to keep you and a girl together? 

Always remember, if you make something up, 
be sure it helps,
or keep your mouth shut!

from SIZ. Copyright © James Humphrey Trust.

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