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   p o i s e d    f o r    d e o d o r a n t

--- M A R E K   L U G O W S K I


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

© crossconnect 1995-1998 |
published in association with the |
university of pennsylvania kelly writers house |