coffee shop

she surveys her path
rehearses each movement
inventories her items
in preparation for her trip
through the coffee shop
maze of scattered tables
to the door marked Ladies
across the room
should she leave her jacket
mark her place as occupied
prevent the table being cleared
tea from being thrown away
would her umbrella be prey
a passerby may borrow
for the misty rain
of a northwest afternoon

8 legged phobia

Quietly riding in the back seat, tired from the afternoon track meet, looking through her backpack for iPod earbuds, Alexis suddenly begins flailing and screaming out of control. Kathy, frantically looks in the mirror, pulls over out of traffic and turns to help her daughter.

Alexis now completely out of her sweatshirt, yanking off her bra, slapping and swiping at her hair and upper body while trying to stand in her seat.

Kathy calmly reaches back, retrieves the tiny creature with a tissue and looks at her half naked teenager in full view of cars passing by.

laughing through tears
a big girl's fear
of the tiny spider