Renée Owen
Dressing Down
Heat of the dazed day shutters the glare waking from a nap to Eat a Peach replays of my parents’ endless fights dressing for the concert in blue sky tie-dye halter top hip-hugging bell bottoms spiked heels echo on the hall tile to dad’s shouts “You look like a tramp” as mom in an apron argues dad tries to slap her she ducks and cries the boyfriend coming up the walk smoothing too-long hair as dad storms upstairs slamming doors knowing mom sleeps on the plastic sofa with little brother his bed wet crying drowned out by the radio blaring no way to slow down the song in my mind Lord you know it makes me high to just stay out all night.
high pitched whistling
under the bird feeder
a skunked night
About the Author
Renée Owen’s award-winning books include This One Life (Backbone Press), Alone On A Wild Coast (Snapshot Press), and Scent of the Past … Imperfect (Two Autumns Press). A psychotherapist and an exhibiting visual artist, she enjoys performing her poetry with her musician husband and hiking the wilds near their Northern California home.