On Their Way
Janet Kuypers
5/26/12
a man today
with a heavy accent
saw my name tag
and said I looked
like a girl
with a similar name
in Evanston.
I told him,
“Everyone is trying
to look like me,”
and he went
on his way.
A coworker today
asked me if
I was at Walmart
this morning.
I said no.
She said someone
who looked
just like me
was there this
morning. Then
she said
she was glad
she didn’t say hi,
then she went
on her way.
A bartender in Tunica
at a casino
poured me a drink
while I sat.
After I told her
I watched CSI,
she told me
I looked like
an actress
on CSI. But
she’s thinner
than me, and
the gaps in my teeth
aren’t the same
as hers, but
I think she
was saying that
because she
wanted tips.
But this casino bar
gave free drinks
to everyone
there to gamble,
and I didn’t
even have my purse
with me anyway.
And I don’t know
how many times
I’ve been told
like I look like
one particular actress.
One bar owner
even told me she’d
give me the drink
of my choice
if I just acted
one particular part
this actress played
for a little while.
It gets to me
that everyone thinks
I’m someone else.
I’m me.
I’m unique.
Someone notice
me.
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