Having a Party
Anna had a good time grooving to Sam Cooke on the radio
time-traveled back to when she a teenager
teased her hair wore pencil skirts twisted to 45s
put popcorn on the Formica table drank Cokes from the Frigidaire
chatted to friends about Johnny the bad boy from Glenwood Road
her American dream resided in expectation
the princess wedding gown the white picket fence around a Flatbush Victorian
the family genes to be passed on
no matter how hard she tried Johnny left her for Sally
other men kept their distance
& early menopause called her instead
her wedding dress burned her unborn kids buried
her Victorian house sold to developers
for a lifetime of work a meager social security check EBT benefits
& a cramped one-bedroom apartment with her tabby Jenny
a cracked mirror meant 7 more years of bad luck
& further decline in her reflection
she lived in quarantine before it became mandatory
held on to her past in boxes shopping bags & 45s
the song ended & Anna felt dizzy
on her torn sofa she thought about Johnny Sally & what transpired
with eyes still open her head rested on the frayed throw pillow
Jenny tapped Anna’s shoulder sniffed under her nose & mouth
realized that she was not responding
- © Patricia Carragon 2020
Patricia Carragon is the author of several books of poetry and fiction. Her most recent poetry collections are Meowku (Poets Wear Prada) and Innocence (Finishing Line Press). Her debut novel, Angel Fire, is forthcoming from Alien Buddha Press. Patricia hosts the Brownstone Poets reading in Brooklyn and publishes an associated anthology annually. She is also an executive editor for Home Planet News Online.
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