My conscience tells me
I need a job.
My eyes scan down
Past the general,
Past the sales,
All the way down
To the Professional Help
Wanted section of
The Daily Classifieds.
I pull my hair up in a tidy,
Organized little coif,
Submitted to the back of my tender head,
And slipping on hose,
And a higher heel,
I click along
Down the sidewalk
In my fitted dress.
The ad tells me to go
Past the tall buildings,
Past the metropolitan plex,
Past the library, too?
Darn!
Oh well! The address screams,
“It’s worth it!”
Finally I come to a neglected exterior,
But peering inside, I see potential,
And just under the white wash paint I see
The name, Inventions
of Great Archimedes
Written in ancient greek.
Pipes and gears, concentric circles,
Sit strewn inside, beyond the pane.
A desk to the back with gaskets and clamps,
Instantly I am intrigued.
The numbers on the door tell me
This is the place
I m looking for.
I open with caution
And step into a genius lair.
Ancient Texts! A bookcase full!
Pythagoras and Dionysus the Elder!
Archimedes with his ancient screw!
Diagrams drawn by the great Hephaestus!
How to make a catapult, and Icarus’ wings!
A rustle from the back and a voice,
“Can I be of service, please?”
The person follows out the words:
It’s the strange, good looking man!
Seeing me there, he plies a dry smile.
Ironic eyes begin to turn
The mischievous clutch to set the gears.
I get a little hint of where they’re going.
I try to say, “I’m here to see
About the assistant job position,”
But my breath is gone,
And no air at all passes over my vocal chords.
You spin me around and peer into my upswept do,
And find the keystone bobby pin—
The only one holding up the entire arch,
And all of my self control.
You pull it out clean
And lean around to wave it bravely before my eyes,
Accusing me with it there.
“Is this the way you treat your hair?”
As it falls down loose and free,
Décolleté.
You run your right hand thru it
While you pull me close with the left one,
Putting your lips to my ear you whisper,
“Would you rather take the two legs,
Or the hypotenuse?”
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