She startles me in the fitting room with Levi’s shirts.
Long sleeved ones meant for you, she tells me,
with a wink and a well-meaning grin as I frown.
I model each to please her, all four of them:
A green khaki cotton with clouded silver buttons,
A dark somber blue that perfectly matches my mood,
A light-hearted ivory I’d never’ve even glanced at,
And a bright red-orange that actually pleases me.
By now I realize she’s on to something.
You’ve found my look! I tell her as she grins,
Her knowing grin, the one that helps me be,
That earnest grin which breathes life into me.
