the most beautiful girl is okay

holding a big gulp(tm) outside the mcdonald’s
and waiting for me
or someone
for a ride
she’s fit
her headscarf wrapped tightly over her dark luxurious curls
falling down her back
she’s tan
smiling
it’s 104 degrees in the shade
and she’s not eaten for a day and a half
if nobody notices
she can refill her cup
with carbonated sugar water
but she could really use a big mac(tm)
or a boyfriend
or a friend
a campsite nearby has lots of men
no safe ones
i can still see the smirk in her eyes
as she assesses the likelihood of my support
and moves on toward the back of the parking lot
through a gap in the fence
and gone
a mirage of her once-glorious
days
before the planet was on fire
and summers were about getting high and laid

9/9/23