She's Been Reading My Mail; Or My Mind...

The Green Cafe

Women, like retreaded tires,
Given extra mileage by surgeons
And Sassoon,
Rebuilt like engines,
And afraid,
Always afraid.

And men
With mapped out lives
In prisons of their own design.

It seems they'd all like to be
Somewhere else
In other bodies
Or another time.

But you and I,
We are so fundamental,
Like original sin.
We eagerly experience ourselves,
Alone and together,
Like primary beasts.
We are here,
Real and separately joined,
More fragile yet more beautiful
Than any fantasy
On any face
In any room.

~Merrit Malloy