We Wore White

We wore white
For some, the attraction already
Was apparent for the tighter garments
That exposed the curves and flaws
Of our adolescent bodies.
Others, myself included,
Found safety in the flowing
Fabric
They all wore white shoes
Heels higher to prove
Their age and readiness for the new world
Mine were green flats
And I felt the color
As I traipsed daintily amongst
The sexy stiletto-wearing giants
We each took our moment
And when the owner became apparent
The rest of us would back off, so
Accustomed are we to the gate of
The tribe.
We would cheer with too much gusto
Secretly envious
And telling ourselves that the next would be ours
At the end,
Most of us cried
We cried for the loss now made obvious
But through our tears,
Most of us managed to smile
All, in fact
We'd toss our hair
And temporarily exile our emotions
Ready as we always were
For the flash of the camera.
We did look beautiful
The swish of white polyester
Or cotton, or silk
Our rounded arms and hips
And the new shape of the foot
And of the leaning ankle
Unaccostomed to the presence of the heel
And we all comented laughingly
Of the pink strawberry stains
On our new white dresses