got a haircut
(lost that weight, went to the gym,
learned how to dress, fixed my teeth,
washed behind my ears, stood up straight…)
got a job
(as a lawyer, a doctor, a computer whiz,
made piles of money, bought a house,
and insurance, 401K, don’t forget the stocks…)
wrote a book
(a respectable book, a nice book, about flowers
and clean houses, and it won some awards,
the Pulitzer, the Nobel — it’s in the papers…)
met a man
(of my own race, and social class,
you know his parents, such nice people;
he has a great job; we’re getting married in July…)
Look ma,
(am I good enough yet?)
*****
1/13/1999