The Red Dress By Alyssa Trivett

I sold the dress I wore

to that former friends’ wedding, the one I had on when he picked me up.

The weight on my heart of getting rid of it was more than enough

although it was my favorite.

Wore it to my work;

to a former place of worship.

If life experiences

reflected on us physically,

my knees would have

more grass stains than a Taking Back Sunday anthem blaring over

high school morning announcements.

Sold my favorite Tom Waits album.

No longer chasing yesterday’s

dug up ghosts. Or him.

Now I run around a lake

since jiu jitsu ruined my shoulder

and I know if I try, try again,

I’ll be the female version of

Riggs from Lethal Weapon

with a magic trick of trying to pop my

shoulder back in place.

So I listen to the band

Saturdays At Your Place,

finally decorate my work cubicle

after 2.9 years of employment ,

and in my standard break from life/afternoon of extraordinary circumstance where I’m hiking in between forest preserves typing a formerly broken heart

into my phone’s notepad…

the world isn’t so bad,

the dress will find a new owner

who will cherish it.

I am in the sweltering sweaty armpit map of suburbia, on an open path.

Swimming pool blue sky.

My first cross country meet for the year is coming up for filming…

so I buckle up. Shoelaces tight.

Alyssa Trivett is a wandering soul from the Midwest. When not working two jobs, she chirps down coffee while scrawling lines. Her work has appeared in many places, but most recently at Ex Ex Lit, and Duane's PoeTree