lunch with Diana Ross

I ran across a contest someplace
in a magazine I think
where the prize was lunch with
Diana Ross.

Diana Ross was one of
the Supremes
apparently she was the
Supreme Supreme
though this was a long time ago.

I think she still sings
though I have not noticed much
I know she has improved
physically
no longer that skinny person
with beehive hair
the doctors have made her
more ideal.

anyway
the prize came with a lot of
fine print
rules of the prize lunch
including the words
"you are not to attempt to make
eye contact with Ms. Ross."

and I wonder why I would want
to have lunch with someone who
would be annoyed by the prospect
of some commoner like me
looking her in the eye.

someone who would apparently talk to
some point over my head
or into her soup
if she talked to me at all.

who might more likely convey
some prepared statement to me
through her publicist
while smiling into nothing
and then go back to talking
on her cellphone until
the meal ordeal was over.

they didn't even say
what was for lunch.

the outwardly beautiful among us
are no longer the ones we want
we are not peacocks searching
for the perfect tail array
we are not puffins
hopping the rocks looking for
bigger puffins to fuck
while the mate scrounges
for worms

in the hope our offspring
will be bigger better more
able to adapt.
it is no longer possible
the world is too ruined
to allow adaptation
to do much good.

the beautiful contain much
ugliness these days
especially if the beauty
is self-imposed
the truly beautiful as always
look however they look
but are who they are.

and this is not apparent
at first glance.

the weather is grey and chill
the sun may break through the fog
or it may not
it really makes no difference
I wasn't going
water skiing.

somewhere Ms. Ross is having lunch
reserving her eye contact
for some perfect eyes
if there are any eyes perfect
enough left
perhaps not even the mirror
will do these days
perhaps the mirror
least of all.

I will have lunch
in whatever weather pertains
in a place that allows smoking
someone will think I look interesting
but will say nothing
someone else will think
I look scary
both will probably
be right.

 

© 1999 by
michael mcneilley