Redemption in Sin City
A fake ruby from Sears, his 25th anniversary gift. She never forgave
him for buying rock bottom wine, Franzia Sunset Blush, for canceling
the vacation through the Rockies on a sleeper train. She was bitter. Cussing
him out was the next best thing to touch. What could quelch the bonfire
of her revenge? A 36-inch strand of Tahitian pearls? Piano roses with bejeweled
ribbon twisted around the fresh-cut stems? Finally he surprised
her with a three-day weekend in Vegas for her retirement. Complete with free
seafood buffets, Johnny Carson tickets at Caesars Palace & complimentary
golfing. She bragged about her lucky haul on the slots & told—over
& over—the story of how she cracked up in the 25th row
until she almost peed in her tapered silk slacks. The all-you-can-eat
lobster bar & the $48 helicopter tour of the Strip—unforgettable.
19 thoughts on "Redemption in Sin City "
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
a near miss of piss in silk slacks… and sleeper trains.
this one has it all.
“Cussing/him out was the next best thing to touch.” Mmm yes. That’s a line!
Love this from the fake ruby. Great lead off and a sweet redemption. Unforgettable.
I may be slightly dense this morning, seems quite the ersatz redemption! More margarine than butter.
You are quite right I think. Margarine would have been a good word to use in the poem don’t you think?
Lol….you used ersatz in a sentence…..I love glyphgeeks….lol
Vegas tried for awhile to redeem a cheap image. I think you are onto them and her. Tapered slacks are so out.
Yes, maybe they are working on elevating the cheap image but as long as baby boomers like me are still alive the residue of mid-century modern kitsch lives on.
Yes, love the vibe of this, that golden era — and that the hurt can be redeemed via expensive gifts. A classic.
I think maybe I should have made it a little more clear in the poem that the expensive gifts (which were actually on sale) didn’t completely redeem the father.
Another poem, perhaps?
I really enjoyed this narrative. So full of life and character. You condense a lot here
Love it. You had me at the Franzia box wine. Tip it, Kathleen! 😉
I would seriously have loved that helicopter ride.
The details of the cheapness really drew me in. Great work, Linda!
love the third person. love the concision of “She was bitter..”
Ok, lead me to the blackjack tables. Clever title and fun poem!
Great. Redemption comes in surprising forms
I can’t get past how great that line break is on line 1! Perfect!
Sounds all too real! I loved the cheapness that keeps coming.