I protest
your schoolgirl charm
and Minnie Mouse eyebrows.
But I digress.
Evening staggers
along Boylston Street
dreaming of designer coffees.
my Visa card is maxed
and I have no cell phone.
I am struggling to understand
that Prudential is not an adjective
while the leaves are falling
before my eyes.
Tomorrow
in a sacred shrine of plexiglass
I will accept the fact
that your all-too-rare smile
is not for me.
Paul David Mena
9 October, 1996
Boston, MA
