the red shirt

i buy a red shirt,
a shirt i'll never
wear, i realize that
the second i get it
home and take it out
of the bag, i know
it's not for me, but in
the moment when perusing
the racks and stacks
of pants and sweaters,
socks and shorts, i see
the red shirt, and
as the muzak cascades
down making me
feel strangely happy
inside, and i can smell
the perfume down wind
of the men's department,
with cookies and pretzels
baking in the mall,
that the color red seems
fine, it almost feels
like it could be my new
color this season, but
no. i'm a fool for
buying this red shirt.