Girlfriend

won't talk behind your back
      She's no backbiting
      manstealing
      Yr' fat talking
      bad mouthing
      telephone taping
      gossip hounding woman.

Girlfriend wants you to look good.
Drives you to the hairdressing,
      manicuring
      treadmilling
      workout place,
So you won't be
      cellulite dripping,
      raggedy hag looking
      not your best self.
Yes, she's a tell you like it is woman.

Girlfriend listens to your secrets about
      hairdying
      bra stuffing
      age lying secrets.
      Shamefilling
        incest, molest, rape secrets.
      Drank too much last night,
      fear of failure
      shame to succeed secrets.
Girlfriend says
      I did that too,
      won't hold your secrets against you.
She tells you truth,
brews a cup of tea when you're blue
and if the pain gets tough,
stirs her tears into the dough
and bakes some bread for you.
     Makes you laugh into your toast.

Girlfriend tells you
Women don't inherit sorrow.
We don't have to be
    painbearing
    victim carrying
    joy refusing
    mother worrying
    brow furrowing
    menopause hot flashing
    second sex.
Girlfriend puts you first,
has a face like mirrors,
shows the sky spreading within you,
sunlight comes through your smile,
And we rejoice this love
between friends.

Janice Mirikitani

Copyright Janice Mirikitani
San Francisco
March 28, 1999