Two hours in her closet grew thin,
And her patience even more.
Each dress a "no," nerves start to show,
And her date is at the door.
She snags a sundress off the floor,
And sandals for her feet,
A quick brush through her hair,
And downstairs to meet—
Her young man, who looks up
To unabashedly stare.
A moment she’s frozen
With a "do I even dare?"
Then a smile and indrawn breath,
The boy is surely smitten.
The irony of her dressing escapades
Seems so perfectly befitten.
Ooh La La.
I’ve heard that in the early years
Of traveling by air,
The passengers would get dressed up
To get from here to there.
That was before my time and yet,
The dress-up rule applied
At many places where that custom’s
Simply up and died.
Like going to a Broadway show
Or ceremony for
A graduation where it will
Be noticed what you wore.
Religious celebrations, too,
In temple, mosque or church
Might reveal a dress-down pattern
Among many if you search.
Still, for certain nice occasions,
I like dressing up so I
Am reminded of decorum,
Which was part of days gone by.
October twelfth
much cooler today in Kansas
If this was March I would be wearing shorts and a halter top
Since it is October
and we are sliding off a heat wave of ninety degree weather
I am reaching for my fuzzy socks and a sweatshirt
where are my snow boots?
a crisp clean white lace collar
pink sweater with tiny pearl buttons
dainty floral cotton dress
a blue suit with a matching tie
freshly ironed linen shirt
shiny black shoes
this dance is either
at a retirement home
or a day care center
in 1971 the dresses were worn way above the knee
Mini-skirts did not come out until 1973.
But these skirts were scandalous in Daddy’s eyes.
His baby girl a delight, his angel, a gift, a prize.
Dressing room to try dresses on.
It was a no-go.
Pain was agonizing, excruciating.
To make matter worse -
4 teens in one dressing room,
2 girls, 2 guys.
Can you tell me why
the department store staff doesn’t
handle this and it is as if you
are the complainer, as if
they are doing you a favor.
Then I hear the guys
and their excuses. Oh the pain.
“Honey, it’s not you, but I can’t stay.”
I tell this to my husband, and we’re
on our way. The timing was all off.
I just couldn’t take it. It was psychological.
It was physical. It was too much.
It was pretty much a 9 out of 10,
just before tears. I will try again soon
to find a dress for my cruise.
Doc has spurred me on my way.
Took a month to get in as a new
patient…oh to be that patient!
used to wear heels
dressing with fancy jewelry
not any more
all about comfort
pajamas and nightgowns
barefooted too
retirement
unhurried and unstressed
free to be me
Suggestions
may seem to replace
the innocence from
which they arise~
waves of suggestions
build and dress up
the separate me~
other suggestions
may seem to undress
and liberate what is
already innocent~
Suggestions~~
Shorts, gyms shoes, a sweatshirt with a hoodie
Senator John Fetterman dresses peccably
Yet unafraid to speak his mind, to call 'em as he sees 'em
He serves his constituents most respectably
Hold my head for me, dear
For I've been trying not to lose it
The words on my tongue
Are no longer silver-plated
No longer sugar-coated
Still there remains
Some sweetness
In being plain human
I do not wish to call it nectar
I do not wish to call it ichor
or liquid light
From now on,
I think I'll just call it blood
And live just as I should
And press my feet into the earth
And not imagine it's the clouds
And try to write more and rhyme less
And try to dream more
and daydream less
And try to heal instead of dressing up
I love, love dressing up,
matching shoes, purse,
belt, hat, scarf round
the neck or tied on
the purse handle.
Now, I am ready.
I always dress up for
me for I want to feel good.
Don’t get me wrong for I dress
down. But, I always get comments not
being casual or dress down enough like, jeans
with a lacy top at the parties, jeans with loafers, not
tennis shoes on casual Fridays. I do dress down for me
in torn shirts with holes or tattered clothes
at home cleaning and cooking. My son would tell
me to throw them away and remind me I have so many
clothes. But I feel good wearing them for I feel free being me.
The dresses of many a distant phase,
the casual attire of black and white,
the lumberjack shirts that were once, my craze.
The hoodies that hide me, both day and night,
the caps that shadow me from day’s sunlight.
The leather jacket for boldness of face,
the styles I’ve hid, for fear of losing face.
07.02.2024
Recipe
Just a small portion
The muffins
The dressing is made from scratch
A little sample in a muffin
Tastes great
Small plate
Cranberry Sauce toppings
Elegant style
Worth the while
Delicious in size.
Homemade
In a fancy dish
Sizeable amounts
12 dressing muffins in a pan
The dressing style
On the entree list.
All the coming and going,
going out
guests coming, so -
dress up
make up
spruce up
brush up
tidy up
don the new getup
shake the dust
off the best plates.
Its so uplifting and fulfilling.
This is so becoming.
Is it too late to put on
a slouch hat and overcoat
or is it too early for a T and shorts?
I dress in the dark
allowing time and light
to expose its itself upon skin and eyes.
This afternoon I will be busy until...
This morning is late and cannot catch-up
for it dawdled.
As if aware of its own magical powered
the moment opens-up
I relax
let the sky-peeking window
clothe and unclothe me
allow the sun-shadowed walls
to attire my mind the way it always will
and should do.
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