Jenny Poem by Neso Onyeuche

just when I think the day is dry,
just when I think it's boring, I
pass an old friend at the supermarket—
an old friend in a hideous jacket.

she loved that old jacket,
wore it everywhere.
she knew it was ugly,
but she didn't care.

it was a given;
we all understood—
Jenny had never looked good.

pale as a ghost,
grim as a curse;
somehow that jacket
made her look worse.

garishly turquoise,
against pallid skin—
how could she stand to wear it again?

how could she like
that neckline like a noose,
with lantern sleeves too loose?

why that gaudy coat
that swallows up her throat,
cutting off the air
so even now she chokes?

even after years,
Jenny still chokes.

tears sting my eyes as I watch her leave;
I cannot reach her colorful sleeve,
but I wish I could—
if only to touch

the blue-green fleece she uses
to hide the blue-black bruises.