Wardrobe Alchemy
~ for my mother
It is bold, her dress: eye-grabbing yellow
on top, dotted with black, billowing
black skirt pools below the waist, swirls
from hips to calf, flowing around her
as she steps from the trolley to the street,
into the bank, out to lunch
Silky folds slither along the sidewalk,
slide through subway turnstiles,
splashes of yellow and black sashay
down Broad Street
She sheds all traces of joyless
duty, slips right past
her mother’s pointed finger,
predictions of ruin and calamity—she
will dance, will smoke, will play cards,
drink beer in speakeasies—temperance,
corsets and constraints be damned
In her yellow and black dress
she’ll stride across borders, over
the edge of her known world,
breaking trail for me
Judith Prest, is a poet, collage artist, creativity coach and holds a certificate in Expressive Art Therapy from New York Expressive Arts Studio in Albany, NY. A published poet, her work has appeared in several anthologies and literary journals. Her latest book, Late Day Light, a full length poetry collection, came out in June 2011. Since her retirement from her school social work job in June 2009, she has focused on her “real work” – creativity coaching, writing poetry & making art (including SoulCollage®) in prisons, community agencies, retreat centers and other venues. Judith lives Duanesburg.