The Lady of Situations
Juliette Jeffers

Self-mythologized in yellow,
she turns her face up 
towards you 
on the escalator. 

Neither here nor there, 
telling stories about the 
most inspiring ouroboros 
of the mall and 
a spiritual awakening 
at a cruise ship dinner 
with an all-white dress code. 

When the unthinkable happens,
you drive around 
skipping songs, as she 
searches for an open space with her fingertips. 

The faded pink buildings are
as unchanged as the contents 
of the hospital vending machine. 

While you're stopped on the bridge,
a man thrusts half a melon 
through your car window

and it glistens,
​helplessly 
in the four o’clock sun 
on the drive home.

Juliette is a student at Pitzer College and is majoring in Creative Writing.