Pride

I'm a woman now,
living on my own in a $1250 a month
apartment with a daughter
by my soon to be ex-husband.
When I have free time, I exercise
in the complex gym.
Hell, my money's gotta pay for something, right?
On my way back today,
I walked by a dirty old Honda.
It musta been an '84.
It's paint was peeling,
and there was a
Community College parking pass
hanging from it's mirror.
Amid the dust, I could see:
A pink rose on it's dash.
The petals were squished against the window
like my teenage lips
aching for a kiss before you go.

It's 1996 in my head sometimes.
It's always that in my gut.
I'm a lot like Daria in that Beavis & Butthead cartoon.
Or Janeane Garafalo in her non-political days.
Like them and their hubris
I long for things that matter
and I put random objects
on the dashboard on my car.

It's the first place I look
when I can't find my mail.