Unzipped

A perky woman stepped inside
The elevator car.
I’d never seen her, so her words
To me were quite bizarre.

She turned her back to me and asked
(Formalities she’d skipped)
If I would help her out because
Her dress was not quite zipped.

Of course, I hastened to comply –
I guess she couldn’t reach –
But in the rules of etiquette,
I think this was a breach.

For asking someone’s help to dress
Seems much more apropos
If assistance comes from somebody
You actually know!

What You Never Meant

One word misinterpreted
Conveys the wrong intent
And what you said gets twisted
Into what you never meant.

For sometimes we may jump the gun,
Prepared to be rejected,
And can’t absorb a message
Different from the one expected.

It’s possible for someone
To feel angry, bruised or hurt
By a word or two that somehow
You allowed yourself to blurt.

In situations such as this,
It’s better to explain;
There isn’t very much to lose
And much that you can gain.

Communication’s often marred
When it’s not face to face,
But simple explanations help
Both parties to embrace.

Impatient

Patience is a virtue
Though it’s one that isn’t mine.
I get antsy when I wait
In any kind of line.

I can’t hold my horses
For that leads to agitation,
No matter what the reason
Or surrounding situation.

Type A personality
I think’s the diagnosis.
Ulcers or a heart attack
Is likely the prognosis.

Living in the city, though,
Is where I have to be.
For everywhere I go, I notice
Lunatics like me!

Expressed

I’m pressed for time,
Impressed by mime,
Distressed, oppressed
And stressed by crime.

I’m best when I’m
On quest to climb;
Caressed by rhyme,
I’m in my prime.

Spontaneous

It’s great to be spontaneous,
To simply up and go;
To get last-minute tickets
To a movie or a show.

To meet some friends for dinner
Or for breakfast or for lunch,
Inquiring it they’re free, based on
A lucky what-if hunch.

How lovely just to get an urge
And act without preparing;
If things work out – terrific!
But if not, there’s no despairing.

It’s great to be spontaneous
But often hard to do,
For obligations cling to us
Like non-removing glue.

Yet sometimes we can grab that ring
That dangles there like gold;
Yes, spontaneity is great -
At least that’s what I’m told!

Sockless

The weatherman predicted warmth
And so I ditched my socks.
I felt a little chill which vanished
After several blocks.

My ankle wore a bracelet which
Had languished, calmly waiting,
Until my foot was sockless
To break free of hibernating.

And as I strolled the sunny streets,
Sans socks but thus adorned,
I thought of my beloved boots,
Now seasonally scorned.

I’ll wear them once again this fall
With socks, I guarantee,
But now I’m just delighted
To be bare beneath the knee!

Mayday

Although today’s the first of May,
It’s not the Mayday! people say
When they are under great duress
With stress they really can’t suppress.

This is a day to smile and prance
And frolic in a Maypole dance.
The sun is up, the flowers out
And spring is what it’s all about.

The Mayday! message, from the French,
Makes furrowed brows and teeth that clench.
Do not confuse these Mayday twins –
One causes tears, the other grins.

And so today, on May the first,
In jubilation, be immersed.
The one-word Mayday! set aside
For when its use is justified…