Three Poems By Penny Peyser

“Your Beard”

Are you imagining I like your beard,
or rumpled shirt that’s begging for a wash?
To my old eyes, darling you’re looking weird
and certainly the opposite of posh.
That stubble on your chin is far from chic
although you say your look is all the rage.
Those ripped up jeans from some pricey boutique
are really gauche for someone half your age.
Speaking of half your age, this change of fashion
portends a change of taste in lovers, too.
Am I no more the object of your passion?
I dread your nouveau wardrobe means adieu.
     If you are leaving me and we’re undone,
     at least I’ll no more see your grey man-bun.

“PC Hell”

What topics to discuss when one’s unsure
of microscopic sensitivities,
when all parties involved are insecure
because of some unknown proclivities?
Just opening one’s mouth involves a risk
and so the throat is called the ring of fear.
A gaff necessitates an exit brisk
or could if verbal arrows fly too near.
A compliment can turn into a wound,
a merry greeting taken as affront.
So easy to be socially lampooned!
Say one wrong thing they might call you a…bad person.
     Our conversation oft requires a plan.
     Let’s talk about the weather ‘cause we can.

“Oops”

A glimmer unfamiliar made me note
the sweet affection in his merry eyes.
I did return his gaze as if by rote,
forgetting that my years made this unwise.
I suddenly remembered I had breasts
and stood a little straighter by reflex.
Despite the fear of facing dire inquests
I actually considered having sex.
A sudden red light warning crossed his guard
as my too eager smile upon him played.
I could have sworn he held me in regard, 
until I recognized he was dismayed.
     “Oh no,” he stammered, “Thought you were another.”
     “Excuse me, ma’am but – don’t you know my mother??”

Penny Peyser is a writer / actress / documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She is a 2018 winner of the Maria Faust Sonnet Contest and her work has been published in Defenestration, Blood & Bourbon, Lunaris Review, Chantwood Magazine and White Ash Literary Magazine among others. Please follow her @SonnetsSuburbia.