She rises, long after dawn
Much nearer the noon sun
She stretches, displacing
Her cat and her dog

And then
To her cat and her dog
She makes condescending apologies
The only apologies she ever allows

She shuffles her naked frame
Toward the edge of her new day
For there are messages to replay
And games to revise

And then
To her Krups coffee cups
For bitter black strength, sugar-tempered
The only strength she ever allows

She pours bitter black strength
In her Granny’s timid memorials
That she mockingly curses
For their useless beauty

And then
She releases her cat and her dog
To prance and to spill impurities
The only impurities she ever allows

She checks her schedule
To outline the smiles she needs
To control her timid acceptance
Of those chosen for her life

And then
She kneels to the phone
And bathes her court in smiles
The only court she ever allows

She sets aside a little time
To spend with her friend-of-the-day
Teasing his celibacy
And testing her own

And then
She struts out to meet
The man she intends to subdue
The only man she ever allows

She flitters with clever dialogue
Of how she only wants to be friends
But a weekend away would be so lovely
Since they both know where she stands

And then
She wanders through her yard
Planning every upcoming discusson
The only discussion she ever allows

She plans her day to perfection
She works miracles in the mirror
She dons her short black skirt
With nothing underneath

And then
She’s surprised by an unexpected call
From one who needs her back
The only need she ever allows

She firmly confirms finale
A bitter black strength, now untempered
For her business is all her own
And he was just a passing companion

And then
She cuts his tendrils yet again
Tendrils she once had nursed
The only nursing she ever allows

She relegates one more human heart
To her frigid freezers of ‘friendship’
She thinks not at all
Of the pain of his trust freezing

And then
She reconfirms her plans
For her lovely weekend away
The only love she ever allows