Broken Zipper Poem by Raj Dronamraju

When I was in my early 20's, I signed up with a temporary agency seeking work
I'd work here and there and always run into the same woman sent by the same agency
She was in her 30's (hard to guess if it was mid or late) , pretty in a shabby down in the mouth way
Her long hair was not styled, uncombed, oily
She wore old worn blouses and faded dresses with broken zippers in back - A safety pin holding it together

She still had a good figure and outraged eyes
Eyes that demanded more than a seven dollar an hour temp job
She would always give me pump up speeches consisting of how we would get through this and how this was just a period of hard work leading to greater fortune
This was funny because she knew nothing about me

All I ever knew about the rest of her life was a husband
He was either ill or irresponsible with money
Kids, more than one, who squawked like baby birds
She had nothing to regurgitate for them except broken zipper optimism