50 People - 11 Poem by Raj Dronamraju

11

She took it upon herself to deliver the news in person
"This is what I look like and this is who I am"
Whether it be shopping for plant pots at the nursery
Or resisting the advances of a neighbor

Now Chavo has sent orders from the dressing room
Those lap dances won't dance themselves
Better get out there!

The daily effrontery produced cash from needy lustful places
Enough so that she could go to nursing school on and off
Attending when she had enough from tips then returning to the silver pole to shake her assets when she needed more

And she wanted to sell her car like anyone else which is how we met her
She filled us with stories of bravery taking great care to damp down any immediate sexual notions we might have had
She did not play a role in her normal life outside of the club
She looked past the grimness of her self-exploitation and there she found a strength
The strength tore you away from her fantasy and demanded normal interactions free of leering