ahh, the dance

mating ritual preps on a Friday night in San Jose gridlock

Friday night gridlock:

she won’t let it slow her down.

The purse is rifled

for the necessary tools

to transform a face weary

of the long work week

to the allure of youthful

woman -- glistening

lips, a whisper of roses

across her cheekbones and then

her eyes. She deftly

brushes soft tiers of color

on her fragile lids,

skewing the rear view mirror

for a closer look, turning

her head side to side.

The traffic creeps ahead, horns

honk -- she turns her eyes

to the road, creeping up to

the bumper before her, and

dives into the purse

again, retrieving the thin

tube and adjusting

the mirror again, widens

her eyes, lips forming an O

as she brushes dark

color with care on lashes

to frame her sultry

eyes. Turning her head one way

then another, pursing her lips,

then pouting, smiling,

checking for imperfection

on her Friday night

face.  Ahh, the dance, the rhythms,

the ritual of Friday night:

male bravado and

swagger, female preening and

maneuvering, lights

and music, inquisitive

stares.  Looking for mates who will

save us from gridlock.

But the future can’t be told,

can it?  He may be

reluctant to commit, she

may deplore the one-night-stand.

Mountains of laundry,

piles of dirty dishes, bills

to pay, no money,

children who outgrow cuteness

to become strange adolescents,

years of loneliness

in crowded rooms, aching to

remember freedom:

Friday night gridlock but we’ll dance

all night. Traffic creeps forward.

She shakes her head to

fluff her hair, running fingers

through her locks, pushes

the mirror into place and

leans on her horn. Friday night.

Reviews

[linda m. crate]

This is amazing! Totally relatable to me, as well. I can definitely understand the weariness of a long work week. Granted, I don't have any children of my own as of yet, but I can still see where she's coming from. Her desires, her yearnings, the wanting of something deep yet the fear of commitment - it's all very palpable. Very nice imagery and detail. It's almost like it's a description of a woman cut out of a book. Nice work!

[Pryde Foltz]

Way to multitask. LOL. Love this from a craft point of view. Splendidly written, really. And loved, loved this for what it says. Oh the excitement of a new love and the acceptance of the ordinary it takes to keep that love.

[Zahra]

Interesting write, beautifully penned indeed. Very nice

[annie lee]

Thank you so much. I have been remiss in my thanks due my home network being on the fritz. Forgive the delay.

[Angi]

This is perfection! Going through the motions all week, the piles of obligations growing. All of it boils down to Friday night. Gone in a blink with less magic than we dreamed. Back to the grind, waiting for Friday night, again. Ha! Bittersweet to think back on all those Friday nights I spent. My Friday nights are spent in pajamas these days! Nicely done! Angi~

[annie lee]

Thank you so much. I have been remiss in my thanks due my home network being on the fritz. Forgive the delay.

[Angi]

No problem, girlie.

[Jack...]

This was so very cool. I was lost in this poem so much that when it ended I was shocked to reality again. Extremely well done. This was great. I love your decriptions, the phrasing, everything. Bravo!!!

[annie lee]

Thank you so much. I have been remiss in my thanks due to my home network being on the fritz. I thought when I retired, I would be free of the task of chasing computer gremlins, but I am the only experienced sysadmin in the house, I have the pleasure of chasing them through the magic of wireless. ugh. Forgive the delay.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow. A trip or a journey into the mind of a woman on a Friday before the weekend starts. Her desires want to be fulfilled( mating ) and her passions looking in the mirror for signs and in herself or aging gracefully wondering if men still desire her and her beauty...:)

[Frieda P]

Wow, you literally took me along on this Friday night junket with you, love the applying of the make-up, how typical, and the dance...oh the dance we do...real life with a bit of gridlock mixed in, doesn't get much realer than that....!

[annie lee]

Thank you. My wifi chunk of my home network has been down, and I finally resurrected it this morning. I often wonder what other people do when their home computer stuff falls flat; do they have another resource 'cause I retired. Thanks so much.

[Rita L. Sev]

Looking for mates who will
save us from gridlock...

You have captured this dance perfectly - the movements, the emotions, the reasons... Traffic just moves more smoothly when we have someone in the passenger seat...

Well penned, minichinz!