Classic Poem

In 1900 women wore corsets
insisted upon by vanity
and men’s eyes
strapped and pulled
within a frame
too tight to allow
infraction of proprieties
so strict, the full breath of lung
labored behind cramped
ribs to Adam’s disliking
eves under which
no bird would ever find
shelter.


(Previously published in Samsara Quarterly, Aug.2000, Vol.1, Issue 2)