This Isn't About Shopping (I Swear)

A dress is never as perfect

As it is the first time you wear it.

It starts to lose its color, the material

Begins to wilt, your body’s weight shift"

The dryer" does a number on it.

 

But that first wear, you feel the need

To stroll the streets with those

Wide-eyed sunglasses on, telling the world

“That’s right, this is me, you better make

Room.”

 

Confidence clings to the threading, the

Bare bones of the structure, until

It inevitably shrinks and you can’t

Wear it without showing off

What you’ve got

(Which, believe it or not,

Not many women like to.)

The Mystery’s gone.

 

Cherish the confidence

Before you find yourself

Before a mirror in the nearest

Ross wondering if you’ll ever find

A dress just as perfect as the one that has

Left.

Reviews

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

I get the sense that this isn't really about a dress... :) Well, it's about a dress, and I can relate to the never as good as the first wearing idea, because I have often tried on a dress in the store, loved it, and then got home and thought what the hell was i thinking, but I think it is a metaphor for life in general. Enjoy the little things while they make you feel good, forget about what comes next. Really great imagery, and there is a sense of conversationalism and strength in this that is quite interesting. Wel done.

[Michael Kevin Spencer]

Sara meet Sarah. A dress is a metaphor for whaaaat?

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

The dress is a metaphor, at least in my mind, for seizing the moment. Feel good about what you have when you have it, because it might not be there tomorrow. At least that's what I saw, and we all know I'm not the any kind of authority on this sort of thing.

[Michael Kevin Spencer]

Yeah like the skin of youth, not there forever, hmm.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Exactly...but that's what botox is for...just kidding, but I had to say it. :)

[saratogaparty]

Wow, thank you so much!

haha You were actually right. Except in my my mind it was a metaphor for the stages of a relationship. But I like where your mind took it. A lot.

It was nice to meet you, Sarah!

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Nice to meet you too...see, us girls "get" each other :)

[saratogaparty]

I think we also have the Sara(h) thing in common, so there's no stopping us, really!

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

True :)

[Michael Kevin Spencer]

Yep them California girls, wit and charm, I'm stumped on you two, absolutely stumped in awe and all!

[Phoenix]

Its about like whats not only on the out side but inside as well, and not about the dress or shopping so I get this piece well done

[Michael Kevin Spencer]

Yeah this happens to my underwear all the time!

I really liked the lines:

1. The dryer" does a number on it
2. Wide-eyed sunglasses on, telling the world

[saratogaparty]

hahaha

Thanks for the comic relief!

:p

And I'm glad you liked those lines. I don't know why but this site changes dashes to quotation marks. It's really annoying.

[Baby Ricochet]

Seriously I love this. I don't ever recall seeing a piece about women and cloths before and it's about goddamn time I did. Women spend so much time, money, energy and emotion on cloths, make up, hair, shoes and accessories for so many different reasons it's astounding. My current girl friend Lexus is a hair stylist and about a month ago she took me to a beauty product trade show. I couldn't believe how huge this trade show was and how much fun it was. It was wall to wall impecably dressed gay men and straight women selling everything from all natural hair care products to hi tech salon dryers that did crap I didn't know existed. There were lots of clothing lines too and hot models all over the place. Who'd of thought a beauty product trade show could be so much fun

[saratogaparty]

haha That's so sick. I used to be "anit-girly" when I was younger. I wore all black and dressed in dude's clothes. But when I went through high school (and got tits) I realized, hey, I have body parts now, I should wear clothes that complement them (going to a Catholic School didn't help either, I had to wear a skirt everyday.)

I'm glad you liked this poem. Like, really. I was going for one of two reads. A literal read (where it's just about a dress and can be taken as such) and also a figurative read where the dress represents a relationship. You know, you've got the honeymoon stage, the trying times, the break-up and then the aftermath of searching all over again.

Thanks for stopping by!