A SLIGHTLY IRREVERENT and REVERENT POEM

One Flipping Day

Nothing stays that way

“Throughline” photo by author

Have you had a morning — one
where everything comes undone?
The phone doesn’t work, the email too
and dooming fingers are pointing at you?
I have. To top it off I lock myself out of my room.

At the phone store the wait is long
I sing the notes of a bitch song.
My old carrier asks the month I signed
up in 2015, to transfer my line,
I am losing my flipping mind.

The young salesbeing with red hair
sober while I fume finally gets the phone clear.
I buy myself Chai Latte at Starbucks to relax
then get $5 guilt cards for the two phone reps who basked
in my tantrum. I apologize. They look in my eyes, say: If you need help, ask.

Down the road my car passes
papers of bright colors — tiny flags
fluttering on the side of a church
so high as to make the sidewalk stare in awe
before giant windows of stained glass.