On Turning 30 [Poetry/Prose]

The Princess Monologue

I have too many curves to wear that dress.
And this dress sits too low below my hips
That sway and shift with steps I take from
Heel to toe. From head to toe, my body
Has already taken a woman's form.
I can no longer stretch and pull into
Those Junior clothes. The cut's too low or I
Can't slide the silk over my backside. I
Am now a woman at sixteen, shopping
For Prom dresses in Lord and Taylor and
Bloomingdales-No Forever 21.
But with my now voluptuous frame I wonder
Inside this bright and crowded dressing room.
I wonder between silk chemise and a
Tacky polyblend. Amongst vermillion
And sapphire that compliments my skin.
Above the pile of shoes with straps and heels
And rhinestones, hooks and clasps. I still wonder
Why. Why am I doing this without a
Date? If I am so curvaceous, shapely
And sexy is my new-found middle name,
Why could I not get a date for the Prom?
My mother reassures me I'm better
Off going there stag; no need to be tied
Down to one boy, or even to one man.