WATERMARK

a poet’s notebook

Established 02004

Make the Woman

Diva

Let me put on
this blazer 
with brooch,

pull back my hair
into a tight
knot.

There.
Will that
do?

Perhaps you’d prefer
this red silk
dress

bare legs
and spiked
heels

or this flowery
innocent
shirtwaist?

No? This strapless
tube, then
you can see

the ring
in my
navel. Pull.

You long
for leather
and high boots

with a whip?
Even now
you’re in charge.

Oh, you want me to
unzip my skin
for you?

Here, let me
fold it
onto this chair.

Happy now?

 

ReadWritePoemThis week’s prompt was to use this everyday topic [clothes] to inspire poetry.

18 responses to “Make the Woman”

  1. Rethabile Avatar
    Rethabile

    Enjoyed that. I love Plath, and at moments in your poem I hear her:
    “You long
    for leather
    and high boots
    with a whip?”
    Nice.

    Reply
  2. Crafty Green Poet Avatar
    Crafty Green Poet

    Very well controlled monologue about control

    Reply
  3. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    Oh this has me grinning from ear to ear! Splendid.

    Reply
  4. UL Avatar
    UL

    What a woman! Tempatation personified…nicely put.

    Reply
  5. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Biting close. Nothing ever quite right. Initially I thought she was seeking someone else’s approval, by the close for me it was a conversation with self.

    Reply
  6. susan Avatar
    susan

    Sorry. Hit post before signing off.

    Reply
  7. Leigh Lear Avatar
    Leigh Lear

    very nice, i like it.

    Reply
  8. gautami Avatar
    gautami

    I liked the monologue very much..

    Reply
  9. Christine Avatar
    Christine

    Our clothing is a second skin, announcing us to the world. A lighthearted poem with a message.

    Reply
  10. Linda Jacobs Avatar
    Linda Jacobs

    I love the way this is written! Very few words that tell a gigantic, universal story!

    Reply
  11. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    Love the sarcasm in it.

    Reply
  12. SB Avatar
    SB

    Ah, thank you, Cathy. For awhile there, I feared I had lost my edge.
    I thought I had written an angry, bitter rant on gender. In fact, I hesitated to post this, afraid it was so sharp it might cut the reader.
    But — no.

    Reply
  13. ...deb Avatar
    …deb

    I especially like the title and how it ends. It does bite a bit, but it should, shouldn’t it?

    Reply
  14. sister AE Avatar
    sister AE

    Ouch! Oh the expectations society places on us and our appearance.

    Reply
  15. Sweet Talking Guy Avatar
    Sweet Talking Guy

    Unzip my skin for you? It sounds so painful it must be tongue in cheek! (I hope)

    Reply
  16. Rob Kistner Avatar
    Rob Kistner

    Very interesting tone, and a fine poem. I hear the pursued and the aggressor in this voice. Engaging blend…

    Reply
  17. paisley Avatar
    paisley

    i loved how each peice of clothing held its own stereotypical assignment… and then there are people like me that are more at home in rag sthan anything else….

    Reply
  18. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    Lovely poem — I’m particularly intrigued by the stanza about the navel ring. The use of “pull” is really surprising. Nice job!

    Reply

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