Triplicate

Adolescence coincided with the 1970’s
loose hair and tight jeans
soft notes of West Coast rock
push aside 60s guitar gurus.

The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac the new kids in town
less noise – more polish
angst spoken quietly
capturing sales and critics. Win Win.

Feminism also reduced volume
the polemic of Germane Greer and Simone de Beauvoir
replaced with the persuasion of Marilyn French
and Boston Women’s Collective.

The new literature read by a callow identity
determined to value and appreciate women
yearns for meaningful closeness
imagination rehearses urgent dialogues of inequality.

Revolution breed in the captivity of academia
it is often released to an unready catchment
earnest intensity rebuffed by women barely ex-teenagers.
The second sex happy to be both.

Newborn sensitivity carefully explained
the need to render invisible the imbalance of gender
and receives puzzled looks and abrupt termination.
An auction with no bids.

In a tobacco stained voice she asked what was wrong.
Cynthia in her late-40s probably
age blurred by three plus decades of smoking
the question self answered. “Girlfriend problems?”

Time and place parent unlikely friendship
vacation factory work
stations serious youth alongside relentless cheer
three months of constant chatter builds comfortable dialogue.

Disclosure confesses inability to find meaningful other
cigarette voice smoke signals absolution
“when the right one comes along …. you’ll just know
I did with each of my three husbands.”
She had not been widowed.

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