The Extravagant Red Dress

The red dress in the window
Of the shop in Chelsea
Near the restaurant I saw you in
Again,
Called to me as I passed by in the street:
"Dare," wind whispered in my ear.

I felt embraced,
As by my father,
When I saw the dress
Reflected in your eyes,
As you stood by your table,
Smiled,
And haltingly asked me to join you for a drink.

There is a clutch of midnight blue
Wrapped up in tissue paper
In the drawer I keep the planets in,
I will unveil,
And steal the shoes
From Nefertiti's tomb,

So I can strut into your heart
And blaze a trail
As stark as lipstick on a coffee cup,
And feel your orbit shift
When I delve in that purse he left me,
And bestrew that restaurant with stars...

But when I tried
The dress on
In the shop,
It didn't 
fit.