words never spoken

walking through the city I saw the young girls
with bodies all silk from underthings to eyebrows
legs shaven
heels pumiced
nails glossed
hair lacquered
thighs taut
eyes clear
glad-breasted tittering girls
and I wondered how even for an hour
you could love a woman who has no silk
no silk
only burlap
and that
well worn
tattered
and frayed
with the effort of making a soul

– Doris Vanderlipp Manley (from When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple)


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3 Responses to words never spoken

  1. Nora's avatar Nora says:

    My mother wrote this poem so thanks for posting.She just died at age 90 on Nov.25 2014.She wasn’t in the habit of reading blogs,though she did use a computer and made good use of garage band in particular,but I think she would’ve liked yours.

    Like

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