Inspection

at the auto mechanic
the other day
while I was waiting on
an inspection
a meagerly dressed receptionist
recorded sales and
answered the telephone
occasionally leaning forward
exposing her acorn breasts
before quickly closing
the space with one hand
and eating potato chips
with the other

but even more curious
was a little girl
7 or 8 years old
clearly of no relation
shifting on a stool
beside her
to get a closer look
at those tiny
misshapen breasts

and as I watched her
watching them
tremble ever so
slightly beneath
a flimsy blue blouse
and yellow brassiere
I could see her touching
the space where hers
had not yet grown

and it made me
remember the urgency
with which we all
seek maturity

how nothing ever comes
fast enough
or with enough gusto

and how that perception
of living is often
carried over
into adulthood
as we continuously
seek things
we do not
or cannot have

how callous the gods
that even in youth
we are taught
to want
to be
what we’re not

as the receptionist
bends forward
once again
a gold cross
dangling from her
deeply tanned neckline

and the young girl
and I sneak peeks
at those little
buds having
never formed
into anything more