A Picture and a Paragraph

[couchgrouch]

Picture and a ParagraphJust like ev'ry Friday nightshe watered plants on her windowsillchecked her machine...sat with her catwashed the clothes piled on her treadmillthere were old women on her floorwho lurked in laundry rooms like ghostsand though she was nervous, 'bout that new dating serviceshe feared those poor ladies the mostthe web-site said she'd meet interesting menand all she had to do was e-mail thema picture and a paragraphwho she was...what she liked to doher hair was short and auburn,she was educated and modernand yet old-fashioned, tooborn and raised in Queens, New Yorkshe liked to swing dance and laughit didn't make much sense,a whole lifetime condensedto a picture and a paragraphhe scanned those photos with blank eyeslike a cardcheat for a marked acehe could read a woman's regretsin her favorite song and her facesome women miscarry their dreamssome smother them when they don't growlives futile and lonely, haunted vacant and homelycrawling hearts waiting for a crowhe hunted for spirits hungry and weakand he heard his next victim speakin a picture and a paragraphwho she was...what she liked to doher hair was short and auburn,she was educated and modernand yet old-fashioned, tooborn and raised in Queens, New Yorkshe liked to swing dance and laughit didn't make much sense,a whole lifetime condensedto a picture and a paragrapha body wrapped in seaweedwashed up on the Jersey shoreno messages on her machinestarving cat clawing at her doorhe shaved his head and dyed his hairput those lifts back in his shoescaught a cab to Kennedymade small talk about the newshe thumbed through the Post at the airportand found her on the first page after sportsa picture and a paragraphwho she was...what she liked to doher hair was short and auburn,she was educated and modernand yet old-fashioned, tooborn and raised in Queens, New Yorkshe liked to swing dance and laughit didn't make much sense,a whole lifetime condensedto a picture and a paragraph(c)2004 Robert George