Jane Zwart

one poem

Pathos

of polyester blazers molting gold ric rac
and of the jury-rigged fascinator,

its netting intended for tangerines.
Of plastic medals. Of clip-on earrings:

flesh-colored buttons that wobble
on the lobes just like matching cysts.

Of silk pajamas, elastic waists knackered.
Of tuxedo shirts, ruches crushed.

. . .

My mother tells me how she loves a trove
of costumes, extols the children’s pretending.

So I pretend I know no collective noun
for the kids’ odd togs. I pretend

I do not bundle the lot daily in my mind
as in my arms: a pathos of glad rags.

Jane Zwart teaches English at Calvin University, where she also co-directs the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, and TriQuarterly, as well as other journals and magazines.