From And Don’t Come Back, published in 2021.
A Certain Lady
i.
Medical office
waiting room.
ii.
Lady
old and well-preserved
cured in pepper I’d say
Red sweater I place as
expensive twenty-five years ago
still in perfect shape today
just as I place her
that certain class of female
has lots of money
abhors the spending of it
is rude to social inferiors
acknowledges no social superiors
is impervious to nuance
and loud
iii.
shuts the bathroom door
on the old man now going in
shouts Remember to lock the door
turns to me. Exasperated sigh.
Is he with you?
She’s off the script
should be saying
what a useless potato
this fool my husband has always been
and not joking but
I know to pick up my cue
Me? No. I thought he was with you.
A snort.
Certainly not.
She stalks down the hall
like an ancient dinosaur bird
out of its time and
perfectly at home.
iv.
One hour later
parking garage
there she is
behind the wheel of a Land Rover
exactly as she should be
Stopped in the lane
head out the window
Jane Jane she bellows
at a woman who is looking at me
like she wishes
she’d just been a little quicker
getting on the elevator
I can’t help her. No one can.
1/10/20
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
No chauffeur?
Are Land Rovers what the rich drive?
I have a hard time picturing that. (K)
You may not know the Philadelphia Main Line wealthy. Absolutely no chauffeur; outdated but expensive clothing; definitely Land Rover, no way a chauffeur or limo. Too ostentatious.
I wonder if they know they’re so predictable.
I don’t think any member of any group (and there are infinite numbers of groups expecially since people can belong to many at one time) thinks it is predictable, but is instead just exactly how they should be and so don’t give much thought to what others think unless someone really pushes it into their face. And this rich person would not even register as such in, let’s say, the city in Missouri where my sister lives – the patterns are different. So there really is no predicting, you kind of have to know your turf, I guess.
That makes sense.
This pen portrait is detail perfect. I could picture this woman from top to toe and recognized her personality type from many similar encounters.
Thank you. Yes, she is a type you see all around here. My goodness.