In the photo you can’t see the “L” outside lumbering
above Randolph Street, but center right you can catch
Heca’s sparkly black skirt. Legs out for maximum
exposure. Arms thrown around her girls, Celia and
Tee Tee. Butt poked out as she thrusts a merlot glass
towards the lens. The tattered velvet couch sags right
behind them. It’s seen too many patrón-filled patrons.
If you could zoom in, you’d see a slight square imprint
in Heca’s front right pocket. Not a wallet or phone, but
a matchbook with Dave, the bartender’s number scribbled
inside. Maybe the flash caught a souvenir, before
wedding vows and the new bun. A last reminder
of what sexy after 35 felt like.

Contributor’s Notes

celeste doaks is the author of Cornrows and Cornfields, and editor of the poetry anthology Not Without Our Laughter. Her chapbook, American Herstory, was Backbone Press’s first-place winner in 2018. Herstory contains poems—which have been featured at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Brooklyn Museum—about the artwork former First Lady Michelle Obama chose for the White House. A university professor for over a decade, Doaks is also a 2022 Yaddo fellow. Her work has appeared in multiple US and UK on-line and print publications including Ms. Magazine, The Millions, Huffington Post, Chicago Quarterly Review, The Hopkins Review, and many others. Find out more at www.doaksgirl.com