poised for deodorant
----------------------------------------------------------
my
mother said
that i could have some de-odo-rant...
the interlocutor pauses triumphantly to fix her upchined gaze
on my poker face turquoise lake mcdonald fir-murmurs hooos
above our two are better than one
at the day use only area all the while
slopeside traffics in the going to the sun road
just like anywhere anyhow town
prairie dogs snoop left be by their paparazza presently
preoccupied delivering bombshell news
outta 9yearold frontal tooth-ambivalence
lovely exquisite blondeness much straight ponytailedness
gathered in a thin pink line of ribbon
pink jumpsuitedness
certain harbinger
of cosmetics
to come
my mother said
that maybe i could have some deod-or-
ant
you do not -- need -- any deodorant michelle
deodorant is make-believe capitalist benefit
meant to oppress to enslave an artifice a device
an ickyness there are more wholesome ways to act grownup
at least that is what
my
mother would say (subject to translation)
but -- how you say -- in engrish -- to precocious chir-dren?
it is not true that...
deodorant is sacrosanct
deodorant leads the way
that we are grownups for spraying on for rolling on
the sticky
alleging to keep odors and wetness away
as if all our other pores were different
my
mother says
you don't need no stinkin deodorant
do you think you smell bad michelle?
what's inadequate with water and soap?
with your
mother michelle
you'd do better to trade for
lipstick.
michelle smiles the smile of air superiority won and
maintained turns the handlebars well i gotta go dogs
the prairie dogs only feet away we will powwow again
on certain unspecified matters of frank importance
at the day use only no camping area -- where i write
poems -- postcards -- where we also are a postcard
on the turquoise deodorant-free fit to be paparazzied
lake mcdonald
Marek Lugowski
22 October 1997
Chicago, Illinois & Glacier National Park, Montana
