VD

Not green, 
Not Gold
not pink or red (tonight!)
Crinkle, crush
In the trash it goes.
 
Woosh doors slide open. ding ding! he's inside. hello lovers. hello shoppers. 
he's here. 
and he's not buying anything pink or red, with hearts or chocolates. 

and no teddy bears. 

sweetheart's dance tonight
with his empty arms, he hates allnight drug stores 
festooned in fake velvet hearts
now mostly blown fiberglass on cardboard

but his trip is for contact lens solution

bears blowing kisses
chocolate hearts melting in hot love's hands at the register

he smells the merchant's love all around
and aches knowing the gods of marketing men says he is lost without someone for whom to buy a dancing heart (batteries not included)

and never more than then, holding his contact lens solution, surrounded by 
commercially validated love, 
that he sometimes feels intimidated. invalid
Could they be right...or just monkey grinders;
Money magnets; 
they---

Corporate
pink hearts tinsel
adding machine hacks

calculations---
golden idols
pushed hard 
rolls of coins
thrust in,
pulled out;
handed off
sweaty fat accountants
greasy fingers/grins
OH! no love there,
bottom-line VD

Patsy Cline on the radio
Back in Baby's Arms
the Clerk, the pharmacist
voices raised with Patsy? LOUD!

what! don't inhale.
some unseen VD drug in the air in here

exit--doors---whoosh shut!

---
out 
---

"seeing clearly solution" clenched---
pink-hearts-candy-pillows-plastic left behind

and, who is the cynic, 
he wonders,
exhale soft as he withdraws, sweaty
wadding up his reciept in a fast fist.