Shelley Laughed Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Shelley laughed
With puffy cheeks
And normal sized brain
And medium amounts of dysfunction

Shelley's poor choices were not out of balance with who she was
No terror tales for future children
No abuse to be delivered cyclically

Shelley did not lag behind nor did she lead youth driven experimentation to taste every fruit on the vine
Take a swing and knock down the wasp's nest

One aunt used to grab each cheek then the other when Shelley was a child
"Look what I found, an apple, a plum"

Distracted by equal amounts of attention
Shelley's community is where the ordinary feel singled out as extraordinary

Without realizing it, Shelley relies on an Equator type consistency
A band of radioactivity circling the world

You could meet so many people with lives packed as neatly and economically as Shelley's
Or with lives strewn messily all over the front yard
The eyesore of the neighborhood