(blonde)

Blonde, athletic
women in shorts
and flip flops,
their hair up
and out of the way.
Chewing gum.
Confident.
Careless.
The kind I made
friends with
in the cafeteria line,
an unlikely match.
who went on to
become p.e. teachers.
I, of course, could
never hit a ball
or catch one.
And when I
chewed gum,
always heard
the admonition
that a woman
should only do that
under the bed.

5/18/00