artwork : ralph murre
BEAUTIFUL
by Michael Estabrook
I think I made it through (keep
your fingers crossed) the latest rounds
of reorganizations, downsizings,
and vertical integrations. I know
(I’m a realist) we are never truly safe
in this cruel, heartless world of business,
or even in life. But still –
I’ve been terrified now for weeks,
dizzy with fear, nauseous over the thought
of having to empty my desk,
gather my paltry personal things
into a flimsy cardboard box, slink home
to my wife with my hat in my hands.
Through all of this frightening talk of layoffs
all I could think was, “What
am I going to tell my wife?” My wife,
my one true love, who recently said to me,
“You’ve always made me feel beautiful,
no matter what I’ve felt or how I’ve looked,
you’ve always made me feel beautiful.”
~ first published in Rattle
