Changes

He sits on the worn sofa, beer in hand,

watching the light from the TV flicker,

face blank and emotionless;

She sits in the other room,

flipping through Redbook magazine,

reading about the latest ways

to entice your man.

She puts on her new nightie,

and walks past the TV slowly,

gently swaying her hips, smiling,

and he tells her to move

out of the way.

Tears well up,

as she goes into the bathroom,

and puts her flannel gown back on,

wondering what is wrong with her.

She goes back into the room

with the blank face and the flickering TV,

and pretends to watch a show

as she dreams of being in someone's arms.

And when he leaves for work the next day,

she puts on her new dress and her heels;

She brushes her hair until it gleams,

applies the lipstick that he never notices,

and goes out,

craving a glance,

needing validation that she is still pretty.

And as she sits alone

sipping a coffee , she looks up

and sees someone looking at her;

He smiles,

and in a moment, her worries are erased;

Her heart pounds,

and she feels a fearful exhileration;

She smiles back, and she isn't surprised

when he walks over to her table

and sits down, cup in hand.

And as her husband works

and wonders what's for dinner

and what's on TV,

she talks to someone

who seems to care what

she has to say,

someone who seems to enjoy

looking at her, and hearing her laugh.

In those few moments,

everything changes

for many people,

and all it took was a smile.