Blue Dress (Poetry, Final Draft)

In the dressing room, I slide you on.
Seventies polyester falls in a steady flow,
Slipping over curves just recently discovered.
I marvel at myself, thinking of where I could take you,
And where you could take me.

Your vintage history makes me wonder,
Who bought you new?
A young woman with brown bobbed hair
Searching for something she can’t name
But knows she’s lost?

Where have you been, blue dress?
The trace of your life has landed you
In this store, wrinkled and waiting
Among rainbows of colors, textures, styles
All from times forgotten.
I am considering you, blue dress.

Tracing the intricate lace bodice, curious
What anxious fingertips have brushed it?
Fumbling to search for a zipper but failing the attempt
Before sliding the flowing skirt up instead;
Such an easier solution.

Blue dress, might you soon relive that passionate memory
To find yourself in a soft puddle
On the floor beside my running shoes?
Remember the hands that took you off
And remind me of their desire.

How will you look on a hot August day
As I watch friends get married and think,
“You’re making a huge mistake.”
One day, she’ll see a blue dress
While she’s searching for something she’s lost.

She’ll try it on and remember how it felt
To be wanted to the point of pain.
She’ll buy that blue dress and take it home,
Tuck it in the back of the closet behind her white gown,
And wait for a blue day that deserves its attention.