The Ocean Blue Dress

Zoe Brownstein '28

The dress is

blue as a baby’s smile, 

layered with imbricate 

petals that seem 

so soft, so delicate,

as if they are 

velvet paper.

It reminds me 

of sea spray 

on a warm summer’s day,

when my fingers become 

prunes from quenching 

my thirst for water, 

when a giddy grin 

would not relinquish 

my sun-kissed face,

and life feels just 

magical.

Yet as I imagine 

myself putting on 

that dress, staring

in a mirror, I do not see

bright, shimmering 

fish scales enveloping me;

the round feathers fastened to

my mind

are those that are 

several shades

darker than a royal hue:

They are 

the sea’s abyss 

where laughter’s rays

do not touch, 

or wax teardrops 

casting weight upon

my drooping face.

For there is 

no true joy 

without

looking under, 

knowing and

acknowledging

the place where

sunlight cannot reach.

Only with those

contrasts in mind

does the

Ocean Blue dress

look beautiful to me.