The Nail Salon

Vietnamese women chattering
carts with hot sudsy water going clackety clack on the porcelain tile
elegant matrons with their jewels in a pile
awaiting the quick procedures
to make everything beautiful on the outside
while ignoring the inside

I wish there were a salon where I could go
and a gentle woman with a sudsy cart would clean my inside,
trim away the dead places
smooth the chipped and broken edges
and paint my heart a pretty, shiny color.