The night I was the woman in the red tights and black mini dress

 

This is the poem I’m reading in this photograph.  It was taken during the 1984 filming of “The Southern Sex, debunking the myth."  Unfortunately they only used the last two stanzas in the film.  I wrote it before I had grown sons and a wonderful husband.  And yet, I still do wonder. . .

This poem has to do with missed opportunity

and the labeling of women

who enjoy touch

just pure touch

as a whore and a slut

and I wonder

what do we call such men?

The night I was the woman in the red tights and black mini dress

“Good girls don’t”

so I did

I’m tired of being a “good girl” all the time

It was six years ago

he was the star

and he asked me

me? I had thought

not that I wasn’t trying to be attractive

even a little sexy

so I smiled

and he invited me to dinner

then I started thinking

you know how men are

they only want one “thing”

and “good girls” don’t give “it” to them

even if they wanted to

and boy did I want to

but I said no

can you believe it?

I said no

I couldn’t

I just couldn’t

I mean

after all

what would my mother say

and the priest

or my husband

heaven forbid

they would all call me a whore

or even worse

a prostitute

what’s the difference?

a whore does it for fun

and a prostitute does it for money

you know

sorta as in

being married

and he works hard for the money

and she gives him the “they only want one thing” thing

so anyway

I had to say no

and I’ve regretted it all these years

what would it have been like? I wondered

you know how it is

when there is something you really want

and you imagine it

and fantasize it

and then one day

the opportunity actually presents itself

and you turn it down!

the pits!

so last week-end

there I was

nearing the possibility

that the opportunity might present itself

one more time

I really doubted it

I was six years older now

he would certainly be more interested in the younger women

I wore my red tights and black mini dress, anyway

and then he did

he asked me

this is it

this is the “moment you’ve been waiting for” moment

so say it

say yes

you know you want to

“You asked me that same question six years ago”

I reminded him

“And what was your answer then?” he asked

“I’d like to think you’d have remembered

if my answer had been yes”

I told him and I knew then where I was headed

so say it

say yes

you know you want to

“I don’t have any birth control,” I said instead

and he did

“I didn’t shave my legs”

“No problem”

so say it

just go ahead and say it

say yes

you know you want to

so I did

I said yes

yes

I want to

I want to be a whore

and touch

just pure touch

no dinner

no drinks

just touch.

(c)1984