Out between the balconies a dress
Still drying off the wet;
The flowers have not yet
Raised their lowered heads back toward the sun
And the floral patterns run
Down hems carefully spun
And when she lays back down, you won’t be in the room
A passerby won’t look beneath his feet
At the way the windows weep
From the clothesline to the street
She says, Who’ll notice me unpin it
Or the song that my heart had kept so long
For the right man and I was wrong?
It was a shame – do you remember?
It was a shame – do you remember her?
Did your hands get raw from trying to scrub the stain
With only suds going down the drain?
A streak of scarlet tucked away
And in the mirror do you even recognize
The double-circles of your eyes?
Pull up the covers, blankets white
(Zephaniah 3:14 – end)