display 

macy's window displays opened wide for me 
each morning for me before i walked up 6th avenue.
it's amazing how at any time of the morning
everyone is frantic in the city. brief cases 
full of diamonds & paper weights. men whose reflections
died years ago. i was bright & full of buttons.
i was a glistening dot of salt. in the displays
i took on whatever role the manikins suggested.
they took off my feet & told me to sit.
they dressed me in purses-- expensive purses
with royal names. lifting my head 
from my body they decorated it with sunglasses.
no one stopped to look in at us. outside 
the days whirled by. the sun leaped & leaped 
over his own shoulders. buses full of only tigers
let off right in front of the store. 
in the display i was beautiful. mural grew
from each angle of my joy. a pink siren 
whirled. a mosaic of all kinds of blues. 
in the photographs i was a model. someone pose-able
& ready to be anyone. i became a sun hat.
i became a beautiful girl with long straight hair
& a green lip stick twisting back & forth.
we were all so stunning. we were going to win 
some attention. i was going to
never go to work again. the buildings shrunk 
to the size of people. a field of people all peering in
to see the macy's display. none of them could name
what had brought them there but they were eager 
to purchase something. their wallets were
full of dragonflies. their hearts were full
of smog. new york city gets more beautiful
when you're behind a layer of glass. 
i invite a select few people to join me.
i dress them. we have to sell it 
though i don't know what "it" is. 
we would figure it. the buildings were
jealous. the stop lights turned to necklaces.
they wanted to be worn. every single bicycle 
became two blush compacts & the riders
painted their faces with those hues. 
i was never ready to leave but 
the sidewalk reminded me of desks
& so i would climb out & sell nothing
& walk block after block with 
everyone else.