Doris Lynch

Silken Touch

Autumn 1945

Who could have guessed that a post-war shipment of nylons could ignite such a brawl? Fist fights, nail scratches, elbowing each other as a dozen entitled gals shove into line. As rain squalls slash over Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, hundreds of determined women hustle for a pair of the new stockings made from the miracle fabric finally released for civilian use.

swollen clouds
coal smoke taste
on the tongue

At the bar next door, coal miners jeer the ladies’ quest for beauty. Still the gals press forward toward the dry goods store, eager to roll DuPont’s honey-colored magic over their toes, shins, high up to the garter belt fixed over their skinny thighs. Worth every penny to add luster to their legs. How alluring these will look above the new high heels bought months ago and still waiting for a special occasion. Despite their parents’ warnings, “No need to pay for new-fangled shoes at the end of a war.” But these ladies know better. Haven’t they suffered enough with food rationing, their boyfriends far away fighting, and no one to snuggle with at the Stanley Theatre or dance with at McDougall’s Crystal Ballroom? This magical hosiery will reveal every curve of their legs, inviting touch, exploration, denuding.

shag and rumba
finally jitterbugging
to whiskey’s burn

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About the Author

Doris Lynch’s collections include Swimming to Alaska (Bottom Dog Press) and Meteor Hound, both published in 2023. She has won fellowships from the Alaska Council on the Arts, Indiana Arts Council, and the Chester H. Jones Foundation, and awards from the Poetry Society of America, Genjuan International Haibun Contest, and the Haiku Society of America Haibun Contest.

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