Poem for my red dress
This dress is too tight
around the bust, too wide
around the hips.
I keep thinking
I should pass it on.
It would sell. It’s from
a good label but still
I’m keeping it
because I like the way
it refuses to make
the most of my curves
and so allows them
to relax in all
of their wrong places.
I like how the fabric
is tough and bright and
stands up to kids and cats
and lots of washing
but perhaps mostly
I love the pockets:
great deep pockets
in exactly the right places;
pockets to plunge your hands,
to lose your phone,
pockets where loose change
can jingle like you’re the kind
of someone who might
just buy a paper
to read while you drink coffee
all by yourself.
Cara L McKee MA, BA grew up in Ilkley, Yorkshire, but now lives in Largs on the West Coast of Scotland with her young family. She used to work as a researcher for the Scottish Government, but now she gets to work in her local library. Cara’s poetry has been widely published in places like Anima Magazine, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, The Interpreter’s House, Ink Sweat & Tears, and 404 Ink. More of her work will appear in Picaroon Poetry and The Speculative Book (2019 edition).
DODGING THE RAIN 