Red Dress Sonnet

Red Dress Sonnet
for Hurster

all the sentimental girls have
songs from ‘86 in their heads
and flowers in their grottoes
for the few words
they paste into their daybooks
like pillows of heathen herbs
on the way to Grandma’s
said to be the root of all
invitations by social anthropologists
or sports metaphors with mood lighting
there’s a bright golden oft
misheard statement she made in the john:
one day alone in the world
and i’ll be home before morning