Mother Knows Best

She says “…this whole writing thing hasn’t worked out for you.” 

I listen, staring at my cuticles.

(cut loose, the dead skin, I think

while my manicurist curses in Vietnamese)

“First, you left home, moved to Kansas City for that Drake guy

And well, how did that turn out…”

(my hand turns, palm up for reflection, ah, yes, I remember)

“And then, you met Brandon and stayed

and what’s that gotten you?”

I spread my fingers for nail polish removal,

The cotton rubs off any memory of two weeks,

The machine splices off the extra length, unnecessary,

The file - files down the debris to a pleasant curve while the

buffer smoothes it all out

and she says,

“It’s time to come home.”

…because Los Angeles

offers so much more,

 

Well, at least for writers…

 

Reviews

[Alessander]

funny...I like the nonchalant tone of the piece...I think it's a parent's job to be pragmatic, so I don't blame them - just as long as they understand I'm gonna do my thing anyways...and I'm not sure if L.A. offers more for writers, unless one is a script writer - different scene perhaps than Kansas, but you'd have to fill me in on that. Ahhh, the Drakester...reminds me of that Seinfeld episode...Sorry, this isn't the typical Nazi review I usually give, but I'm trying to stay awake til 6 to watch the damn Soccer game lol Is it me, or are you doing a series of "mom" poems?

[Lola Nation]

She even read this poem and said if I was going to quote her to get it right, LA offers more for writers in the sense that there is screenwriting, journalism, etc - I am using my creative writing license to leave the poem as is.

[Emily B]

my mother wonders why I dion't call . . . why I don't answer the phone

what is it about mothers anyway?