« Sandy Sue Benitez » Disillusioned Mary-Grace was fond of flowers, convinced herself that she was an immature bud. When she finally bloomed, she shaved her petals, skinny-dipped in Mercy Lake, and gave herself away to the first boy who told her she was a beautiful rose. Never realizing she was always a rare orchid dangling precariously from a dying tree. Pretty in Pink Lace I didn't choose it, mind you. My step-mom hand-picked it. I suddenly felt like Cinderella and she was the wicked one. Pumpkin didn't sound so bad really. Molly Ringwald said I wasn't trying hard enough to look like her. I had no sewing skills, no red hair but the pouty lips were all mine. Andrew McCarthy was busy doing tv but he would send a double right over. I took pictures of myself in the dark. The dress survived the prom. Unfortunately, I did not. Sandy Sue Benitez's poetry has appeared in numerous online journals such as Scorched Earth, Autumn Leaves, Ken*Again, Thick With Conviction, Defenestration, Zygote in my Coffee, Words-Myth, Falling Star Magazine, Chantarelle's Notebook, Tipton Poetry Journal, The Orange Room Review, Killpoet, La Fenetre, Mastodon Dentist, Unfettered Verse, and Lily. Sandy resides in Wyoming with her two hyper children and darling husband. She is also the editor of Flutter, an online poetry journal. Her first book of poetry, Ever Violet, by DN Publishing, will be out early this year. Sandy has 2 chapbooks, Beneath a Black Pearl Sky and Petal Storm available at http://www.lulu.com.