Loving Patti Mayonnaise by Samantha Duncan Lyrics

I cheered her on from the sidelines
of track meets, my awkward voice
echoing sixth grade psychedelic
off the inside of a hairspray bottle.

I like to think I taught her how
to keep Doug at the perfect distance.
but an old man told me to smile last week,
and I still haven't thought of a comeback,

and I’m still learning how not to be a damsel
when asserting my need for help, still carving
a laid-back path through the weight
of my mind's diet. She'd tell me to optimize

my experience within reason,
the hopeful product of a late mother
and disabled father. To my dismay,
she might even tell me to smile.