I still wear the clothes you bought me
Especially at night
And on my dates
That weekend you asked me to think of you
To not forgot what we have
I didn't listen back then
But I remember to do it every day now

Sometimes, before bed,
I try on the outfit
I have laid out
for the next day
in front of the mirror.

It’s like
peeking through the
wrapping paper
before Christmas Day.

Sometimes
that outfit neatly tucked
in the corner of my room
by the closet
is the only thing
that will get me out of bed.

After already hitting snooze
for three hours,
first class skipped,
lunch date cancelled,
self-loathing amassing
at an alarming rate—

those neatly folded clothes
look like a savior atop a
carpeted Sea of Galilee.

To mistake it for vanity
is to be the one who
has never feared
once their feet left the bed
they would drown.

Don't sit there and laugh
I promise it's real
I'm nowhere near daft
But I have an appeal

Women have united
We held a caucus
It has been decided
We want deeper pockets

Not stitches of yarn
To create the illusion
Not fingertips only
Whole hand exclusion

Not pockets so small
They cause a contusion
Not 1/4 of whole
Causing wallet protrusion

I should not be coerced
To carry a purse
It's like we're accursed
pocket problems traverse

You get it right on dresses
But never on pants
I need to stress this
Dress to pant transplant!

You do it for males
All big and cozy
Put some wind in your sails
This is no time to mosey

Pocket Equality for all!
Across every brand
Divided we fall
United we stand!

Pull me close,
In fact closer than most.
Probably all of me, the nearest to all of you,
I'll be jealous, it's me over... those

Don't leave me, even though I'm always with you,
You see, without you i am empty and no more free
A dark space with light I'll never see
But around your shoulders, that's where I'm meant to be

Know that I feel you, as much inches of you, there is of me too
The mole on your shoulder, that bump's still blue
I'll hide your imperfections, they won't have a clue
Having me will never feel like déjà vu

Trust everything in me
As you keep in me what you value, I'll make sure, effortlessly
Just reach and see, i'll feel your hand slowly
It'll be normal and comfy, that's how you'll know, lovingly

I'll catch that stain of coffee
Let me freeze, i'll stay warm where you'll be
Rest your back, I'll feel your nape on this tree
You don't need to speak when you're with me

I don't mind how you notice others
I know all places your elbow's been, the tear made by your brother
No one else will have our stories, see
That fact will always keep me happy
Don't you worry

And when day turns to sleep,
Throw me by your side, or even at your feet
I won't always feel your love, be your shape
But I'm home with you anyway,
And love is made of faith

I get sent socks at Christmas,
So I can have safe walks.
When I tell my friends about this,
Everybody talks.

There is no innuendo,
Nothing to confess.
Without those cushioning blankets
My feet would be a mess.

I know a friend who knits socks,
In many different hues.
So long as she keeps knitting,
Our feet won’t have the blues.

So Wendy sock it to ‘em:
All that stitch and purl.
Make them good and roomy,
So our toes don’t have to curl.

No chance of any frostbite,
With these things on our feet.
For comfort on a cushion,
These socks just can’t be beat.

Paul Butters