The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Mon 4/10/06)

[RetroLounge]

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 café, 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

********************

http://www.kimaddonizio.com/index.html

Kim Addonizio is the author of three books of poetry from BOA Editions: The Philosopher's Club, Jimmy & Rita, and Tell Me, which was a finalist for the 2000 National Book Award. Her latest collection, What Is This Thing Called Love, was published by W.W. Norton in January 2004. A book of stories, In the Box Called Pleasure, was published by Fiction Collective 2. She is also co-author, with Dorianne Laux, of The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry (W.W. Norton). With Cheryl Dumesnil she co-edited Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos (Warner Books). Her first novel, Little Beauties, was published by Simon & Schuster in August 2005 and will be out in paperback in August 06. She also has a word/music CD with poet Susan Browne, "Swearing, Smoking, Drinking, & Kissing," available from cdbaby.



********************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[In_The_Wind]

1. YES! I love it!

[BlueIris]

2. I LOVE Kim. She used to teach at my school.

And I have an autographed copy of "The Poet's Companion."

[RetroLounge]

12. Very Cool!

What school was that?

RL

[miss_american_pie]

3. Well thanks, I think

;)

How are you this morning?

[RetroLounge]

4. Hmmm, I think I'm ok, just real tired.

RL

[miss_american_pie]

7. ...

:hug:

[wildhorses]

5. he has her seeing red,

no doubt
I pity the fool,
that this poem
is about

[RetroLounge]

:D

RL

[LaraMN]

8. I don't think it's so much about him.

That's just my feeling. What she's describing just seems to me like a raw, if defiant, sense of femininity and sexuality. It's something that often gets stifled under the weight of social obligation. Don't get me wrong, I think she's got some profound negative feelings towards him, but I think this poem is about a primal sense of physical liberation, and not just from him. Just my 2 cents. It's a GREAT poem; I love it.

[wildhorses]

26. liberation, true

he was the catalyst,
I would not know about social obligation...
have not lived my life according to those rules


and yes, I like the poem too!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. My dear RetroLounge........

WOW! I LOVE this poem!

It is a cry from the throat of a goddess.....a fucking goddess!

I am woman.....hear me roar!

She's not holding anything back, damn it........

And good for her!

Here you see woman at her most primal, her most powerful....

DO NOT FUCK with her! She'll eat you alive......


Thank you

}( :evilgrin:

[RetroLounge]

10. Yeah, my kind of woman...

indeed.

:hi:

RL

[tigereye]

11. I've heard that one before!

cool. Thanks retro.

[yvr girl]

13. I want a red dress now too

wow.

[RetroLounge]

14. I can see you wearing it, too.

yes, I can see that very clearly.

Be right back...

RL

[yvr girl]

15. The question is...

Do you like what you see?

[RetroLounge]

16. You know I do...

:evilgrin:

RL

[yvr girl]

17. You really should be with me

I wouldn't give you any...much grief.

[RetroLounge]

20. Hmmm, it's still an option I will keep open.

:hug:

RL

[bigwillq]

18. I really like this one.

Good choice Retro. :hi:

[RetroLounge]

22. Ah, not my choice

recommended by Miss American Pie...

kudos to her.

RL

[djeseru]

19. Instead of red...

...can I get it in black? ;)

I like this one...and the poet is highly fascinating as well. Thank you RL. :hi:

[RetroLounge]

21. With your hair color

I would say yes, definitely, to a black dress...

:hi:

RL

[djeseru]

23. My dream outfit...

...is a little black dress and a pair of Doc Martens.

Which fits today's poem, just monochromatically. :)

[RetroLounge]

24. Well, now that you mentioned it

you need to take that picture and start a photo thread...

RL

[djeseru]

25. You bet.

When I find some Doc Martens, I'll dedicate the thread to you. :)