Decisions, Decisions

I bought shoes today, and some clothes to wear to work. For some reason, my pants size had gone down, as well as my shoe size. Most people gain weight while they're on a cruise. I seem to have lost some. It must have been all the walking. The shoes I got were flat, black, ballet slipper type, with a little mary-jane strap near the toe. I probably took a smaller size because they have rounded toes, and no heels to force my foot into an unnatural shape and size. I should have bought them in red and blue, too, since they will undoubtedly quit making them once they discover I've bought a pair. The clothes are not exciting. They are as close to jeans and tee shirts as I can get and still wear them to work. I got a couple of nice sweater-like objects to wear with them so that I can look semi-professional.


I have been called for jury duty for the first time in my life. I have to show up tomorrow, so my vacation will be extended by at least one more day. God forbid I should actually get chosen to be on a jury. I figure my occupation will cause the defense to strike me, and my bleeding heart liberal politics will cause the prosecution to strike me. Maybe if I show up clutching my "Star" and "Enquirer" magazines in my hand I'll be selected.


I talked to my office today. Things were pretty quiet while I was gone, except for the day they had to call 911 to get one of our "clients" to leave.


So, because you are trying to decide on a sofa, here are two poems about choices:




He said—

Buyer’s Remorse

I’d hate to take a job teaching, then spend the rest of my life trying to get out of it. –Mary Oliver

No sooner do the ruck of us declare
“I do”, than we don’t anymore. Go out
for football, and we who never dared
stand up on a pair of ice skates, pout
that we can’t pay pro hockey, too. The ink’s
still wet on our tickets to France, and we
wish we’d picked Japan or, come to think
of it, Kauai, New Zealand or Tahiti.
Open any one door and we’re deafened
by the roar—loud as the sea swallowing Atlantis—
as other doors slam shut, and their wind
knocks us down. The serpent didn’t hiss
to Adam and Eve, “Hide your nakedness!”
He wore his best suit and whispered, “Look at this.”

Charles Harper Webb




She said—

Choosing Shoes




New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me what would YOU choose
If they'd let us buy?


Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.


Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes;
Like some? So would I.

BUT Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that-shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes
O that's the sort they'll buy.


Frida Wolfe