Lady Golfer
After her Communism phase
and her unshaven phase
and her bad boy phase
and her minivan phase
she lost herself in golf
Saturday and Sunday
she would hit the links
with the bankers and the lawyers
and the doctors
who escort us all to death
by
never
taking
enough
detours
She would smack that mute little ball around
that giant fucking yard
keeping score
an alien
in
her
own
life
Like most people
she mistakenly thought
everything was supposed to be good
and she thought that
maybe
golf could give that her
could give that to her
real
good
But golf never gave anyone anything
except a spoiled walk
and a metal club
too dangerous
to
carry
in
the
rain
She was not young enough for a new phase now
she thought
staring down the barrel
of her daughter’s first divorce
So she kept at it
kept smacking that mute little ball around
that giant fucking yard
smacking it harder
with every passing year
till her joints gave way
and her organs were crushed
with
time
done
spent
Then one day
like each of us
she lay dying
And the demons who haunted her
who nipped at her very heels
snickered evilly
in their barren
and howling holes
where in the darkness
they hide
eyes glinting with glee
like flawed but beautiful jewels
of
no
value
whatsoever
