Yes Ma'am!

What Do Women Want?

I want a red dress.

I want it flimsy and cheap,

I want it too tight, I want to wear it

until someone tears it off me.

I want it sleeveless and backless, 

this dress, so no one has to guess

what's underneath. I want to walk down

the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store

with all those keys glittering in the window, 

past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old

donuts in their cafe, past the Guerra brothers

slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly, 

hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders. 

I want to walk like I'm the only

woman on earth and I can have my pick.

I want that red dress bad. 

I want it to confirm

your worst fears about me, 

to show you how little I care about you 

or anything except what 

I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment

from its hanger like I'm choosing a body

to carry me into this world, through

the birth-cries and the love-cries too, 

and I'll wear it like bones, like skin, 

it'll be the goddamned

dress they bury me in. 

-Kim Addonizio

Until next time, I hope you find your red dress!