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Ralph Monday

 
    After Awhile 
 
 

 
 

Foremost, in the 20th century,
The meeting after quarterbacking

Cheerleading, splitsville when
The disasters of the prom turn

Toward different esthetics:
This makeup instead of that;

Those outfits replacing, reluctantly,
The Barbie.  A Ken turned into a King.

Somewhere, at least, in the ivy grassland,
Maybe not Prince Charming,

But at least better than a dead (John) Belushi,
Or so the thought goes.

They meet (always happens).
Harpooned together by common interests

 
 

Nobody else ever thought about
They grow more interested.

Somewhere down the line (they both forgot)
A preacher reeled them in.

After Bermuda, the best night of their life,
Sometime over the next ten years

An egg dropped at least three times --
Triple patterings became common place.

Amused, bored, angered for awhile
Till they went away to the ivy.

After awhile TV didn't much matter
Anymore since they were basically

Caught up in own self cells.
Soooo they talked, toyed with counseling

And were rather frightened, one day, by
The realization that the (supposedly) departed

Patterings might just bring in another course
To gag on.

Finally, the winds took up her dress,
The thunder his jeans.

Both were uneasy for awhile.
Till readings and a little wine

Calmed them down.
"I rather like this wind," she said.

"Uh, so do I," he replied. "But, the
air conditioning."

No matter.  They would just call in
The repairman.


 
 


Ralph Monday teaches composition and literature at Roane State Community College and Tennessee Technological University. He has been widely published in the short story, poetry, and essay genres, has won numerous writing awards.

 


 
J A C K E T  # 9 
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