allison whittenberg
Life As a Cliché Allison Whittenberg is a poet and novelist (LIFE IS FINE, SWEET THANG,
HOLLYWOOD AND MAINE, and TUTORED all from Random House). She lives in
Philadelphia.
So trite, my boss, stereotypically balding, puts his hands on my
shoulder while I was processing words instead of word processing. Are you some
kind of writer? he asks. When I don’t answer, his hands move up to play with my
earrings, which dangle parallel to my cheekbones.
Can you work late tonight? He wants to know.
So, I had to fuck him. Certainly, I can’t support myself off my anemic
symbolism, my flabby free verse. I need to keep my clerical skills employed.
So the next morning, during dictation, in my embroidered white blouse, crisp to
the point of snapping, I remain unaltered. Our eyes meet: his loaded with
metaphor; mine without the least suggestion of allusion.