bristles

back when everybody played
some musical instrument
she played the brushes
she played exquisitely
she was a maestro
“Stand By Me”
“Under the Boardwalk”
all the Top Ten Hits of the day & more

-even after she made a pass
at my sister
I still followed her everywhere
she was my confessor
she was my pal
now she’s a social worker
confidante to the deprived
dispenser of Hope
scattering Morning Glory seeds
across craters of battlefields
using her brushes to their best advantage