You’re It!

by Louise Yeiser

Since I’m an agnostic of sorts, I have to be sneaky about the way I pray for people. So I hunt down errant clothing tags that wave at me from the backs of people’s necks, still attached (by a thread or two) to the insides of a shirt, a jacket, a sweater. I reach out and tuck it in, and while the owners are trying to figure out what strange scoundrel is touching them, I say, “All tucked in,” pat the tag down and add, “Now you’re perfect,” which brings instant understanding and a smile. That’s how I pray — I fix people’s tags, pat them on the back and tell them they’re perfect. I think this is an incredibly cool, terribly clever MO and am constantly amazed at the huge tally of tags that flap around loosely, begging for closure, right in front of my nose; so naturally, I accommodate them whenever possible, and am apparently developing quite a reputation around town. I hear they call me... the tag lady.

6S

Louise Yeiser, whose full catalog is here, is a middle-aged student of Creative Nonfiction at the University of Pittsburgh, and is always watching.