Penney’s

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We sat on the floor

Drinking coffee, comparing

Little girl memories of shopping

At JC Penney’s. Rows of dresses,

Everyday cotton prints, flowered

Rayon Sunday best, surround a counter

Glittery with rhinestones and Blue Waltz

Perfume. Slips and undergarments hide

Discreetly off to the right—mysterious

World of women. Shoes racked in back,

Flanked by men’s wear—work pants,

Coveralls, denim defining roles. Elevator

To the left, stairs straight ahead,

Children’s wear on the mezzanine.

Downstairs to the lower level—

Fabrics, sheets and towels—the real

Women’s world. Our mothers took us

To Penney’s to buy our first bras;

She in Rapid City, South Dakota—

Me in Havre, Montana.

Same Penney’s. 

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