Susan Rich
Underage
Who is she?
The teenager with a mission
fighting on the battlefield
of Capitalism
with only babysitting money.
Why does she pause
on the corner of Harvard & Washington—
at small green-leaded windows
above the empty window box.
The flower shop sign
reads, under construction,
like her.
And suddenly, she becomes
employed. An arranger of orchids
with pussywillow,
curator of terrariums, and her favorite—
anthologist of the centerpiece.
She learns the commerce
of water and sand
as if she knows the ingredients
for an exemplary life.
What she hears of sex, of surrealism
from the older workers,
women approaching their mid-twenties,
surprises her.
You can sweet talk your way
into Salvador Dali’s suite
at the Ritz;
or marry a silver-haired Colonel,
to become rich and unhappy.
But what shocks her most
is when she murmurs, may I help you?
and finds she can
advise afternoon light, more jasmine, a blue planter.
Another world is here—and it is hers.