.waiting line theory.

Bethany Bowers

Where the Streets Have No Name

I
At five I always wanted
To be an Irish Princess with a tiara
made of dandelion-yellow roses.

Years later masked behind Bono's patent
U2 shades. A girl borrows my Chapstick
What Would Jesus Do? scrawled across her chest
White on Black

(What Wouldn't Jesus do?)

II
My dad owns over 3,000 records
From the Go Go's
to Def Leppard and Frank Sinatra.
Records made only to be heard
while lying on the cold linoleum floor
feeling every note hum.

III
Today I saw three ten year old girls dancing
in a vacant lot. All of them had tied up their shirts'
bellies bared, hands held high, hissing words
to the newest Paris Hilton song.

I remember hair brush microphones,
and high heels that I stuffed with tissue
so they would stay on my strutting foot.