All that talk of poems in my last post made me think of the only real lesbian-themed poem that I know.
I thought it was super sexy upon first read and clipped it out and stored it in my quote journal for future reference.
This was back when I self-identified as a lesbian but not necessarily a butch. It’s the butch imagery — the Windsor knotted tie and suspenders clipped to wool trousers — contrasted with the femme imagery — black dress and heels — that gets me every time. Guess that’s why I’m a butch.
Let me know what you think.
Madchen in Uniform
I am smitten, thinking of the suit you wore
to our college dance, a dance you did not
invite me to and so I showed
with a bright blonde in a black dress
and we made sure to dance her heels to dust
in front of you
and your sulky grrrlfriend.
Muted, scarlet as a mouth, your suspenders
snuck out from wool trousers, my winter boy
in alarming white sleeves–
sound the all-clear.
This is my breath: every cigarette we shared
whispered our wide-open secret
no longer safe
in a blazer’s breast pocket.
After, in the middle of the night,
in the too-fragrant room of another, all I could taste
was your yellow stripe of tie,
the handsome Windsor knot neat
and next to the throat I will never, it seems,
lay my mouth on.
— Heather McNaugher
* Madchen in Uniform is also the title of a 1931 film about an all-girls boarding school in pre-Nazi Germany. It is believed to be the first lesbian-themed movie.
Beautiful!
Glad you liked.
Wow. Thank you for sharing!
No problem. I thought it was a really cool poem.
That is a great poem. I am going to have to save it now and share.. thanks for sharing with us.
You’re welcome!
Love it! Beautiful poem 🙂
I’m glad that everyone else sees the beauty in this poem.
Lovely.
Glad you enjoyed.