Miriam Obrey
Marika
She buys Rag Market long-johns,
tie-dyes them in buckets of beetroot,
disguises flies with thick swirls of embroidery;
tops them with gaping denim shorts,
salt-soaked, sprinkled with iron filings -
rust-encrusted underground - a fashion tip
snipped from the Sunday supplement.
She mummifies her legs with strips
of old sweaters, rummaged from the bin;
twists string and Sellotape
around her sister’s outgrown Docs,
daubs them liberally with gold enamel,
then splatters them with white emulsion.
And you know how tights go into holes
between the legs? Marika cuts out
all the fuzzy bits, exaggerates the slit,
chops off the feet, sprays sparingly
with Woolworths’ Christmas glitter,
turns the whole thing upside-down -
pulls it over matted dreadlocks -
an instant off-the-shoulder crop-top,
hot enough for any college disco.
Page(s) 60
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