Work & "Marriage Song"

Work was tiring today. I didn't have my usual patience for the common misconceptions people have about pharmacy-- the biggest one being: pharmacy staffs should give people refills even if a prescription is expired or out of refills. God forbid if your pharmacy staff politely points out that you've had a whole a month to contact your doctor for refills, which would be more efficient than waiting until the day you need the medication to ask you pharmacy staff to contact the doctor and yell at the staff because your doctor didn't respond within your time line.

Ok. Enough of that and more of Beth Gylys, the Poet of the Month for May.

MARRIAGE SONG

Some have affairs. They never stop to think

until they're begging for a second chance.

(We love and learn we sometimes need a drink.)

Impatient with his life, he quipped, "We blink,

we're forty: with wives, kids, retirement plans."

Some have affairs. It isn't what they think.

He saw this woman at the skating rink,

watching their sons play hockey from the stands.

He fought the urge to ask her for a drink.

She wore those stretchy pants, a long faux mink

slid next to him and said, "Hi, my name's Nance."

He wanted her right there. He couldn't think.

They fucked in hotel rooms, designer pink,

drank cheap champagne. He signed her underpants.

They fucked and ordered something else to drink.

His wife broke all the dishes in the sink,

took both the kids and flew first class to France.

Some have affairs--it's never what they think.

We sigh and shake our heads. We have a drink.

~Beth Gylys

from BODIES THAT HUM, Silverfish Review Press