Lois

Here's another poem I'm working on:

Lois

There’s Lois by the coffee counter

with her Papillon, Pepe.

She is telling Malcom,

“papillon means butterfly.”

Malcom nods, thinking

about his chef salad with avocado.

Lois strokes Pepe’s silky ears

for which he can thank his breed --

Papillon: butterfly.

Lois flits from counter to shelf

gathering groceries one at a time,

Pepe under her wing –

gelato, a croissant, one red bell pepper.

Though slower now, her flight

suggests weightlessness,

blinking and smiling

around the deli.

Her eyeglasses, pink-rimmed,

are a child’s drawing –

two giant circles

swallow half her face.

Behind the glass her eyes blink

large and wide,

and behind her smile

a whisper-voice informs,

“Papillon, it means butterfly in French.”