National Poetry Month

[brigdh]

What Do Women Want? by Kim Addonizio

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what's underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I'm the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm
your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment
from its hanger like I'm choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I'll wear it like bones, like skin,
it'll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

Comments

[lousy-science.livejournal.com]

I haven't been able to log in to my LJ for a while (long story) but have been following my flist, and your poetry posts have been giving me such joy. We share a lot of favourite poets, it seems, and you're introducing me to new ones to love - like this. Thank you so much!

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Wow. I can see this so clearly.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Me too! It's so vivid.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm always glad when other people enjoy my choices. It's fun to share poetry.