mace spray
is my defence

my attacker
follows me
down an unlit
alley after
midnight

instead of pro
torsion adidas
i wear two inch
stiletto heels with
spaghetti straps
but
i have my spray can
of killer mace
in my itsy bitsy bag

he grabs my hair
luckily it's a fall
i run
until he catches me
and then as he
pins me to the bricks
i go for the it
the old foolproof
mace in his face

my purse is so tiny
and packed with
junk where is that damn mace
when you need it

i start handing
my assailant
keys
cosmetics
change purse
pens
tissues
receipts
breath mints
a box of kodachrome slides
a hairbrush
a tube of polysporin
hairclips etc

the items pile high
in his hands as
i plead for my life
saying waitaminute
now
justasecond
it's here probably
right at the bottom

a-HA!

come here
i tell him

as
he approaches
i spray mace
in his eyes

he collapses
writhing
dropping all the
junk from my
purse

that was
a close call!