“So the carnival steams by, shakes ANY tree: it rains jackasses.”
Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

I try to avoid bitterness
But...
I've watched them choose
The beautiful and fickle,
The diseased and troubled,
The easy and ready,
The shallow and selfish,
And those with demons
Imploding and exploding,
All the while destroying
Those foolish enough
To see only what
They've chosen to see.
Yet never have they given me
An absent glance;
I--
With my loyal heart
Filled with warmth
And Love for the giving,
With inborn compassion and humor,
With honest strength and
Unwavering steadfastness,
With a spirit of passionate fire
That banks and flames
In turns.
I, who can offer so much
But who has remained unnoticed,
An aging Cinderella going about life
Productive yet undervalued,
Overlooked but for her
Neuter usefulness,
The missed opportunity
For those who could not,
Perhaps would not see
The single crystal slipper
Hidden in plain sight
Amid the acrylic
Stiletto Sea.

c. 2024