Little Black Dress

Oh little black dress at the back of the closet,
who will crush you now against his chest?
—Katha Pollitt, "Lot's Wife"

Mine had, as they do, a short skirt

that showed my legs to advantage
as if I was marketing myself

to lonely men, which I was,
I guess, wanting, as I did, for someone

to love me.

Or, I suppose, for someone to want
to fuck me, anyway.

Kind of the same thing, at times.
I mean, you can sit

in your apartment and listen
to country love songs and the slam

of your neighbor's bed against the wall
like a metronome

only so long before
you put that dress on and head out to bars

to find guys you won't want to know
the following morning.

Or, even after, ever.