For the December challenge, Heidi asked us to “address an item of your clothing.” What sounded difficult turned out to be easy.
I found you at Reads,
a department store I loved,
where I could always find
exactly what I wanted or needed.
They closed years ago.
You were for a special occasion—
the wedding of one of my oldest
childhood friends.
Across the ocean,
a prince had just married
a princess,
and the racks were full
of dresses that she might wear.
You were a splurge,
but I didn’t care.
I knew the minute
I saw your chiffon and satin
stripes, deep blue
like the summer sky,
I knew you were the only
dress I could wear.
I adorned your ruffled collar
with my mother’s pearls;
pearls dangled from my ears
and wrapped around my wrist.
I don’t remember the wedding
at all, haven’t seen the bride
in years.
But you hang in my closet,
still waiting for the day
you’ll turn another girl
into a princess.
Draft, © Catherine Flynn, 2025
Please visit my fellow Inklings to read about their favorite fashions:
Mary Lee Hahn @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Linda Mitchell @ A Word Edgewise
Molly Hogan @ Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret Simon @ Reflections on the Teche
Heidi Mordhorst @ my juicy little universe
Then be sure to head over to Live Your Poem where Irene Latham has the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reading to the Core 
I remember that time because I was married only a year after the prince and princess, so I was tuned in to their wedding. I even used music for my own ceremony. I love how you still have this special dress waiting for the next wedding. Lovely poem.
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I love how you made this both specific (“Reads, /
a department store I loved”) and generic (“a prince had just married /
a princess”). I’m glad this dress isn’t a one-off…there is still hope that it will turn another girl /
into a princess.”
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Oh I love that it is the dress that survives! The magic! Thank you Catherine.
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I love that ending and the magic that lingers within your princess dress!
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Grown-up blue princesses instead of littlle pink ones! My favorite stanza is the one with all the pearls, which deepens our appreciation of how special you felt as you prepared to go out in it. I also love how the dress has outlasted the friendship! ; )
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