The Lie
She walked, smile pasted on
crimson crumbling at the edges
jostled
by shoppers
who didn’t see her
who didn’t look closely enough
to see her smile slipping.
She pulled out a wallet and gave a buck
to the grizzled man
next to her--
His hand out
reaching toward
the woman
who would save.
His smile gone.
Merry music playing on,
background chatter
deafening.
The season has claimed another victim.
Empty eyes
and the bottle that saves.
copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2011