To her chagrin

I went to Chagrin Falls, Ohio for an overnight stay. I carefully planned outfits with

rhinestones, embroidered socks, teacup earrings, red Mary Janes

To realize ostensibly I am not made of Mary Janes or a diamond-crusted history

but know intimately the feeling of walking home in worn-out shoes and hiding holes in favored clothes.

I play pretend well, I think, when I flip a tag or praise a blouse or walk into work, head high, and the reality is I am displaced, asking

can wealth be an anachronism like time?

Maybe my history is why I spent the past day guilt-laced in my $40 boutique top as I cut someone’s hope into confetti, scraps of bills sliced from a starving wallet

and a human heart making connections is salve, not sum.

//

Jacket: Liverpool

Shirt: Nine West

Skirt: Draper James

Boots: Kate Spade