I've been working on this one for weeks. I think I finally got my anger in check long enough to finish it.
Lessons Learned in a Small Town
Tell no one about your life. They will not keep
your secrets. News travels at the speed of light
and did. My telephone rings. I recognize the
name, and answer, think it has something to do
with the job. But no. It’s that man, one whose
face I recognize in younger folks who do not
bear his name. Small town Lothario, newly
divorced, thinks I’ll jump at the chance to ride
in his Mercedes. Interviewed him for the paper
years ago, when I was young, slim, pretty. Still
remember the reptilian hand on the small
of my back as he escorted me from his office.
An offer and I decline. Sharp intake of breath, his
disbelief wends its way through fiber optic cables
to my ears. He must have thought I'd be like
Lila Wingo in The Prince of Tides. Thinks he’s
funny. Says he knows the color of turkey meat
I enjoy at Thanksgiving. Secret’s out. Now honey,
he says, don’t take offense. I take offense but
say nothing. Dead silence so I press a button,
end the call. My disinterest wounds him. My
preference astounds him. He is likewise offended.
Twenty years ago, I would have watched my back
but he is powerless now. He doesn’t even know
that he’s the butt of jokes despite his assets,
a regular at the dead pecker benches by the bank
contemplating a wasted life in the afternoon sun.
© MCM 2018
5
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Awesome poem. Somehow I escaped the worst of small-town negativity when I was young. Plus, I left my small town at 18 and never lived there again (though I'm still close to there.)
Tomfoolery33
Level 9
July 8, 2018
0
@LetzGetReal True. Although when I moved to the REALLY big city, I missed the camaraderie and the willingness to talk and to help that you find in smaller places. Where I'm at now seems to have a good balance.
@LetzGetReal I'm sure that's true in some places. I just didn't find it myself.
You are not alone, this speaks to the anger many of us felt when pressured by someone who is in the position of power. it also reminds those going through it - the tide will turn and the offender will eventually be stripped of that power, by age, retirement or the inevitable.
Dee138
Level 6
July 8, 2018
0
Meantime, all ages need to know that they have a voice and boundaries!
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