Arm raised high
in taxi hail.
Reminding me of
second grade—
I know the answer—
tall and proud,
no lagging fingers,
no halfway raise.
The cab
pulls in front
of me.
I must be good
at this.
I jerk open the taxi door.
A man
is seated, ready
to exit.
I mumble, “Sorry,
the dome light
wasn’t lit.”
He says, dismissively, “Just let me
get my bag.”
I wait. No longer proud.
My arm, still raised,
begins to
slowly
wither
as
I
wait.
After retiring from teaching middle school for thirty-two years, it was time for
Trish Sheppard to rediscover the self she had left behind. The first step was writing,
so she joined Carteret Writers, Inc. and the Pamlico Writers Group. Next, she picked
up her brushes and began oil-painting lessons. Earlier this year, Trish entered the
Carteret Writers 2016 Contest and received first-place honors for her flash fiction,
“A Life Measured by Tea Leaves.”
