off the rack

my shoulders are
so narrow I look like
an attenuated insect
with my arms clasped
behind my back but
don’t worry I probably
won’t bite your head off

Neil Young songs
travel through the cafe
speakers as they
converse over the
sound of the river

no one told me
my shirt was on
inside out maybe
they worried this
older woman would
cry later I laughed
in the store’s mirror

slinky little black cocktail
dresses sad widows wear
the blocky dark dresses
preferred by the old women
who secretly run the world

Cinse Bonino
2023