How Lady Learned At Last

*** How Lady Learned at Last *** For decades, Lady daydreamed, wanting a full closet, A packed, complete fashionable style: Shoes to hats, to crown the French Bob Of shinny, brunnette tresses above her hazel eyes. There’d be gauzy blouses and Merino, Polo Sweaters in a dozen colors altogether. All the details took hours upon hours of thought, such as The mixing and matching of those tops with All the any of six Skater Skirts, (once she might have them all) Designed with a bit of a swing; or to wear with The any of seven medium-weight and permanently- Pleated pants in solid colors or faint Scottish plaids. To which would be added enough flowy cardigans To match the pants; and then, add the rhinetone broaches To set on each top at the collar, featuring favored Creatures from seahorses and turtles: to a glimmering Onyx,seated cat — to represent her Milo, who Had just months before crossed over The Bridge; and A mother-of-pearl with simulated diamonds, To stand for her brother’s new Rat Terrier Cassie, whose likeness she had embroidered on The side of one of her pair of new, blue, suede boots. She had it all planned out. “Just right,” Lady confessed. All for the teen still within her, who had had only two Outfits until she quite obviously, tugging seams, outgrew Them, adding to her despair as a freshman in high school, Because she admitted to enviously eyeing other girls, Who even had outfit-matching knee socks Stuck into their cliquey, Aigner penny loafers, exclusively close to The also enviable Aigner shoulder bags; additionally topping the wardrobes of the “popular” girls, with Their hung-to-their-sides, most handsome boys in class. Easy to guess, regularly, teen Lady’d beg, beginning her quest For even some more (nicer) clothes. But, While, Lady’s mom , who always saw the situation as one of popularity, not necessity, Automatically said, “If EVERYBODY’s doing IT, doesn’t mean it’s good.” While Lady would have agreed to to the Five-‘n-Ten hanging on racks by the rear door, no-name brands; and, While her mom didn’t suppose Christ was in truth Divine, but Did think “Be Good,” was excellent advice; But didn’t include, “Be well-dressed,” sending Lady’s wardrobe dreams, in hindsight, to confess, having at some point along the way Turned the visions of her too fattened closet Into a kind of a Golden Calf Grazing the pastures of her wishes and envy Lingering on along inner hillsides, which should have been long passed. In a prayerful testimo to God many years after high school, Lady faced her own being…and Opened the gate to let the calves — the many she’d come to own — Out to go off down the stony road to other pastures; And then she dropped to her knees… ———————————————————————————————— (c) sally young eslinger 2/2023 Thanks be to God…