The Fine Print

Under blue fluorescence of
noisy bowling lanes,
it might escape simple observation.
In small doses, she appears normal.
Yet those who know her better
know better. We tread carefully.
With deft grace, she will
overcompensate for any lack
or longings, able to undermine
through subtle subterfuge,
expert agent of unleashed chaos.
Life presents difficult splits,
her rolling young life a series
of gutter balls or strikes.
But no one else deserves
serenity that eludes her.
She'll hit that reset button
in the middle of your frame
to mock the lovely cage
she sees you as, one that
contains & detains her
from far bigger dreams.
Once freed, she hurls
ball like turbulent tornado,
an emotional maelstrom
of contraindications,
smiling hard, seemingly genuine,
yet leaving a trail of
sadness & pity amid
the rented shoes
of her pretty wake.