Dress

Dress travels in backpack,
Soaring in overhead bins
Of airplanes bound to Dallas,
For family visit in June.
Navy blue Dress
Carries a bouquet
Of gray flower prints.
Pleasant & lovely,
Dress fulfills all needs.
She rides bikes &
Evades greasy chains.
Her cotton fabric
Breathes humid air,
Wicks sweat,
Blocks sun rays.
She sips tea &
Absorbs green stains.
She walks collies &
Dodges muddy paws.
Her modest shapes of
Hemmed sleeves
Hug shoulders,
Button-down collar
Conceal clavicles &
Knee-length skirt
Drapes thighs.
She prays at synagogue &
Observes devout laws.
Versatile & resourceful,
Dress holds good intentions &
Plans to join Girl to
Stepbrother's highschool graduation.
Dress cannot imagine
Impending consternation.
Father orders Daughter —
Poor communication —
Change Dress or else
Destroy family relations.
Daughter defends Dress
Without hesitation
As her choice represents
Freedom of expression.
Father curses
Defiant contravention &
Tells Daughter,
Go to hell,
For the provocation.
Dress never before met
Such aggravation.
Tut tut, say observers
Of unfortunate situation.
Dress quivers as
Threads unravel,
Button eyes cry,
Sleeves blow noses,
Hems tear,
Pockets empty lint.
Departing Texas,
Dress feels tainted with
Family Dysfunction.
Back in Boston closet,
Dress hangs lonely,
Stares at suitcase of
Emotional baggage,
Coughs mothballs of regret,
Unthreads self-esteem.
Girl perceives Dress
As a reminder of Distress.
She contemplates donation or
Consignment no less,
As Benjamin Franklin
Offers remedy to frustration.