poem of the day 01.16.09

i used to look

girl walking down
4th avenue, park slope
she has it all together
long blonde hair
a tan in january
a little purple jacket
with fake fur
and tight jeans
tucked into leather boots
she’s got her cell phone
pressed to her ear
and her bag placed
just right on the hip
doesn’t have
to wait for a red light
or service in a restaurant
she turns heads
turns the heads of three
hispanic guys
trying to cross the street
who all smack into
each other when they
turn back around
as she keeps moving
and one looks back
to get a last look
at what i imagine
is her perfect ass as well
while a car blows its horn
at them in the crosswalk
and i laugh
thinking i used to
look at women like that
all of the time too
before i got smart
and realized that underneath
the clothes
it’s all the same
just flesh and a dirty soul
and sometimes it’s better to
look at the streetlights instead
because you won’t get hit
by a car that way.