Monday, July 15, 2013

poem of the day 07.15.13


play money

the little girl
sitting opposite me on the bus
is playing retail store with a real five dollar bill
that her mother gave her
so that the child won’t be bored
while mommy texts and plays games
on her cell phone

the little girl is cute, i guess
the way she pretends to pay for things
from the old bat sitting next to me
before snatching the money back from air
to do it over and over again

it proves that if nothing else
this kid has some semblance of an imagination
which is more than can be said for her mother

she’s so cute
the old bat sitting next to me keeps saying
snatching at the money and cackling
but the old bat looks whacked
keeps singing church hymns
and she’s carrying a garbage bag full of brown rags
so i don’t know what to think

i don’t think i’d let my kid play with her

maybe i’d like to have that five dollar bill to play with
or i think i’d like to do something untoward
like snatch that five dollar bill from that little cutie’s hand
right when the bus stops
and then hop off and book it until i’m out of sight

that would be something
maybe that would show the little girl
that money isn’t the thing to be played with

or maybe that would show her mother
to pay more attention to her kid
instead of pounding away inanities on the internet

or maybe my thievery would even show
the old bat how fleeting beauty really is
how anyone can take something lovely
and turn it ugly in a matter of seconds

but i think i’ll keep this moment somewhere
in the back of my head

i’ll use it on payday
when i have my own play money to mess around with

a few tens and twenties
that i’ll take to the bar or liquor store

and maybe i’ll pull a couple bills back from the bartender
when he hands me my pint
or snatch my twenty back after the liquor store man
hands me my bag of whiskey and wine

life like an impish little child

see if they get the innocent humor
in all of this.

                                               

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