Short Undershirt Poems

Seated on the sidewalk, 
singing under his breath,
a soloist in gray & black, 
performing the hard way
for pennies in his guitar case.
          
Focus closely now   
on the brown fold 
of undershirt closest to his body,
the almost white of his eyes, 
skin burned red. 
Hope’s long gone, 
turned blue in the dust
of his visible despair....

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Gussied up Frog Lady is proper but not prim.
Her grotesque legs are thick and spotted, not thin.
She wears pantaloons with lace of cotton white.
Her stretched out undershirt is way too tight.

Frog Lady tries to put her pinkie up to drink.
Her fingers are webbed, and nothing is pink.
We can tell she is trying to be better than us.
She is an arrogant woman, says Mrs. McGus....

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I saw a heart on a Large pink to scarlet web-footed wading bird with down-bent bill,
The heart was pink and so very hard to see, but I knew it was there,
Because it was in my little Minnie’s smile.

Her favorite long sleeved shirts have hearts on them,
Underneath she wears a short-sleeved cotton one; for comfort,
Today's undershirt had the wading bird on it!

4 years old, happy with her
Heart and Flamingo and Playful smile.

©david byrne Jan 2021...

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