MAKEOVER

originally in New World Writing

You want to matter in this culture? my friend Shadow would say. Not me! Wheel of Fortune is not an intellectual endeavor and your team’s playoff run is not passion or drama. He would give these speeches. He would give his mannequin heads smokey eyes and an embarrassed blush. He would pat Wanda on the back after she prepared dinner. But I was there the night my friend Shadow did his wife Wanda’s makeup for the first time. It was delicate and sensual. He was respectful—to the point of restraint—of her natural beauty, which wasn’t abundant. When he held up the mirror, Wanda was disappointed. 

Boy, Bramble could use some rain. The warm, yellow grass.