Expecting Armani
 __________________
 
 She is really dolling up --
 wearing that black silk dress
 Sarah said she had to buy
 and sheer black stockings
 with a rolled seam up the back
 stiletto heels to make her
 a match for any height
 this shade of lipstick outrageous.

 Her heels click as she
 moves about the apartment
 sipping a glass of wine
 between layers of hairspray.
 She imagines broad shoulders
 in an Italian-cut suit
 a dark smile, light on his feet in
 soft leather shoes.

 This may not be what 
 arrives at her door
 but she is dressing
 for her expectations.
 Over a glass of sherry
 at that further table
 just beyond the candlelight
 sinking back into velvet cushions
 he may yet appear.
 
 -acm (1/97)