Corsage Girls

A bandboxful of corsage girls
primp and polish their sparkle
before long stagelit mirrors.

They sweep jade shadow,
outline lids in Nile lines,
and purse their lips for gold
swivel tubes of shiny red wax.

Their bare shoulders gleam,
and they dip bejeweled necks
graceful as stems, pat scent
on the petals of their skin.

Their long red nails tip tap
on the vanity counter and they
carry glittery bags small enough
to hold a teacup chihuahua.

When they glide into night
each becomes a luminous flower
that attaches itself to a man's lapel.