“annie says”

she wanted
a softer world
where her cat would never
get sick
and boys would always
call when they said they would
and they liked you even when you weren't
on your back-

maybe when-
she thought
and stopped herself-
maybe when things
are different-
the man on her
radio sang
as if speaking for her-

she wanted
a softer world
where boys
spoke with the same
understanding as the man
on the radio did
when he sang those words to her-

maybe when I've
been to london,
she thought,
maybe when i've seen
paris at night and hong kong
lit up like manhattan
built on the side of a mountain-

maybe when I've changed my
name to its closest
translation in
italian-

maybe when I've driven
a sports car down
the autobahn
at a hundred and fifty
miles an hour-
bright red-
like the shade of lipstick
i'll wear in that life-

she left the thought unfinished
and the radio on-

the man sang-
it's good for everybody to hurt somebody once in a while-
and she thought about
a different him-

maybe then
the world will be a little softer-
and i can stop wondering
why the phone
won't ring-