His trips to her aromatic
bathroom now habitual,
the pubescent boy’s bare feet
rested on his grandmother’s
cushioned pink hamper,
making him feel womanly

—

slim young kid with crew cut
marveling at shiny pennies
from cashier at OfficeMax,
offering them to his mother

—

at the sale,
a rapt crowd began
building around
the Sharpies

—

“I feel like a communist,” she said,
swiveling her body while
modeling an olive green
bomber jacket in the mirror,
her teen companions clueless