TELLlNG WOMAN/DRIVING AT NIGHT
I tell a woman
what work I do for money
Don't you ever feel afraid?
She asks, staring into the headlights
through a curtain of long, brown hair
which obscures half her face
like Veronica Lake
Yes, I ' m afraid
Sometimes I try not to feel afraid
Four months ago I was raped
I was afraid of being tortured or killed
I answer, driving my dark green Vega
wearing a turquoise angora sweater
dark red lipstick, new hairdo, good pants
I'm stronger, won't quit
and they're not going to stop me
She laughs and pushes the hair behind her ear.
Bars of light drift upward, over our eyes.
Autobiography of a Whore: Table of Contents