This month Heidi had our Inklings’ challenge and she invited us to “address an item of our clothing.” I debated about an ode to socks, as I am quite a fan, but swiftly opted toward more intimate apparel.
I played around with a variety of forms, trying to do justice to slips and half-slips.
How about a little terse verse?
What do you call a slip with a bit of spandex? a hip grip
Ugh…that is not inspiring!
Maybe a limerick?
There once was a woman who tried
with a whisper of fabric to hide
any clinging or bulging
that could be divulging
her truest form to the outside.
©Molly Hogan
That one sounded more like a girdle than a slip…which reminded me of my grandmother unfolding herself from the car after a long ride from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, bemoaning the pressure of her girdle. “You’ll see what it’s like someday,” she said to me. Despite her dire prediction, I never did… and she never witnessed them becoming an outer rather than inner garment in popular culture. But I digress…
Next, I played around with a Zeno for a while. Those one syllable requirements are tricky!
Half Slip
Hidden, provocative or prim,
all anti-cling,
silken
glide.
Whispered slither,
fabrics
slide.
Modest so it’s
seldom
spied.
©Molly Hogan
Finally, I remembered that Margaret Simon had shared a prompt from Joyce Sidman: address an inanimate object and give it a compliment, ask a question, and express a wish. The final few lines of that Zeno had me thinking…
To My Half-Slip
How easily you arbitrate between fabrics,
settling disputes about chafing and cling.
Cultural change pushed you toward becoming
a fashion anachronism. How have you persevered,
doing your job behind the scenes
as a diligent defender of modesty,
enhancer of graceful drape,
and a transformer of transparent to opaque?
You’re a hidden workhorse
disguised as a whisper of silk!
And though perhaps it’s ungracious of me,
I do have one request–
I truly wish you could resist the urge
to give in, let go,
and slip
and show
below my hem.
©Molly Hogan
If you’re interested in seeing what the rest of the Inklings did with this challenge, click on the links below:
Mary Lee @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Heidi @my juicy little universe
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Irene Latham at her blog, Live Your Poem, and offers more links to all sorts of poetry goodness. Be sure to stop by and check it out!
Nix the comfort zone 
Multi-poem response for the win! Love that terse verse!! But this:
“You’re a hidden workhorse
disguised as a whisper of silk!”
Yes!
And here’s to the determination of slip to slip out and be seen!! (And double here’s to the disappearance of the girdle culture!!)
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I had a lot of fun trying out different forms! And yes, a big cheer to the demise of the girdle culture! (Although is Spanx that far from it?)
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Girdle. he he! That’s one of those words that always makes me laugh! The journey to the last poem is one joy after another. Brava! xo
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Thanks, Irene. I was having fun trying out different forms, and I think I was simultaneously procrastinating on writing report card comments! lol Thanks again for hosting this week.
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Oh, The thought of girdles makes me sigh for women. Sometimes I see that someone on tv has on a full body one. I love all your meanderings about slips, Molly! From ‘hip grip’ to ‘slip and show’, you’ve made knowing they are in the past (I hope!) a good thing!
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Women’s fashion has a lot to answer for! True confession though: I’m actually a big fan of half slips because I wear skirts a lot and am not a fan of transparent fabric or static cling!
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Such a fun post. Love the progression to your final poem. Thanks for the smiles this week. I had “almost” forgotten about half slips (do I even have one anymore?).
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I do! I do! I’m not a fan of girdles (ugh!) but definitely believe in the power of a slip to avoid static and unintended peep shows!
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Love how you tried so many forms, Molly! And they are all wonderful.
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Thanks! I’m pretty sure I was procrastinating on a few fronts!
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I agree with Mary Lee! What a winning collection of poems! I love how your Zeno works. The one syllable rhyme gave a backbone to the poem. “Whispered slither” is a great metaphor for a slip. This challenge fit you!
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Thanks! It was fun to play around with the different forms and see what happened!
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I should not be stunned to discover that you do still make good use of your half-slips–your persistence in getting entertainingly to your final glorious ode to slip is evidence that you love and respect the slip:
a diligent defender of modesty,enhancer of graceful drape,and a transformer of transparent to opaque?
Now, is it the cheetah one you wear to school, or the pink mini with the black lace???
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Thanks for making me laugh out loud!
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I should not be stunned to discover that you do still make good use of your half-slips–your persistence in getting entertainingly to your final glorious ode to slip is evidence that you love and respect the slip:
a diligent defender of modesty,enhancer of graceful drape,and a transformer of transparent to opaque?
Now, is it the cheetah one you wear to school, or the pink mini with the black lace???
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Wowee! You take the cake for all the ways you answered this prompt, you over-acheiver, you! But, I love the fun limerick and the compliment to a slip best. The lines about “resisting the urge to give in,” make me giggle! Well done, Molly.
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Thanks, Linda! I had a lot of fun with the challenge and it was a nice respite from writing report card comments!
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The terse verse reminded me of girdle days! who needed them? I ditched that artle of clothing early. Love a good half slip.
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I’m also a big fan of the half slip. Anti-cling all the way!
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Brava! Though I admit — I don’t think I own one anymore?? But oh how I recall the nuns’ stern tsk-tsks when mine was showing! Gawd…
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I love the humor in all of these poems, Molly! I’m with you on half-slips, although I mostly wear pants these days. Thanks for the chuckles!
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