hospital gowns scrubs coveralls bathing suits headgear wooden potato masher disposable collars cuffs costume parties masquerades dried bouquet imagine old love letters worn as sleeves wedding hats 1890s ball gowns sometimes even washable by hand broken plow to weave like fiber to twist on spindles family wash board wired together cut in narrow strips cheap suits post WWI stack of quilts shelf liner yesterday’s headlines crepe grain runs vertically pincushion belle for skirts to hang well ensure 20-inch widths three Minnie Mouse watches forgiving moldable pliable you don’t need tape glued hand-carved frame to make a paper dress an origami heart hard-sided suitcase
Wendy Vardaman (wendyvardaman.com), PhD, works as a web and digital media specialist. The author of four poetry collections, she served as Madison poet laureate from 2012 to 2015 and volunteers as a graphic designer for poetry-related causes and organizations in Wisconsin. Her most recent book, thread me an exit (2025), is available from Brain Mill Press.