The Toy
Bestowed for times when he could not be there,
this gift—worse, even, than the teddy bear
in a loud T-shirt, misspelled coffee mug,
plaque about friendship, rainbow-patterned rug—
never saw light of day, tucked in a drawer.
But oh, what if her children ever saw
what’s buried in that pile of lingerie
(gifts less for her than him)? What would they say?
Would they decide she’s not fit to admire?
She hopes its batteries do not catch fire.
Claudia Gary writes, edits, sings, composes (tonally), and gives poetry workshops in the Washington, D.C. area and elsewhere. She is author of Humor Me (David Robert Books 2006) and several chapbooks including Bikini Buyer’s Remorse. Besides anthologies such as The Great American Wise Ass Poetry Anthology (Lamar University 2015), Forgetting Home (Barefoot Muse Press 2013), and Villanelles (Everyman Press 2012), her poems are published in journals internationally. Her articles on health appear in The VVA Veteran and elsewhere. Web: http://www.pw.org/content/claudia_gary. You can follow her on Twitter @claudiagary