there are times I want to flaunt femaleness,
slide sex over my head like a red dress
& wear it all day smiling, that strut
in high heels tapping codes to ears
biologically tuned to their meaning
it’s not exactly rocket science
that language of pheromones
& sideways glances–
we are mammals, after all
with a reptilian core
wrapped in a fancier brain
that understands best
things that are not spoken
but there are also days
it would be great to turn it off
& that signal
always seems to get lost
in translation
Susan Daniels Poetry 
You really weave humor and images together beautifully here (and in other poems too).
The last two verses are very funny and trenchant too.
Jeremy–you just used one of my favorite words–trenchant! Glad you enjoyed this.
nice job with the word play on this one. i dig it….:) hope to see ya browsin soon.
thanks, Don–I did stop briefly tonight (got to read & appreciate one), but need to check your blog out more thoroughly some night when these 2 lovely children of mine decide to go to bed on time!
sounds good and i hear ya as to the children. i’ll be seeing notify’s when you get new ones. i’ll also backtrace a bit…:)
Cool 🙂
funny how they always know when we are IN yet seem confused with the NOT IN signals. why IS that? however, I love 1st stanza….brilliant. makes me want to be a girl. oh wait…I am a girl. Hmmm, forgot that for a moment. sighhhhh
Rhonda–put on your red dress and STRUT–then you’ll remember 🙂
beautiful! Stanza 1 is a knockout! Is the signal turned off in the penultimate stanza? or does it simply signal an intention to want to turn it off? Intention not backed up by effective action? could this be the reason for the communciation breakdown that the poet laments in the last stanza or is it that men are hard at hearing or are they simply victims, determined and defined by their own hormones? Biologism is a risk, and now I back away, blushing wildly!
I think, perhaps, this particular poet wants to have it both ways. An “on” and “off” switch would be nice, or the signs they put on top of taxicabs when they are not available for new passengers. OK, going to call it a night before this deteriorates further!
Noel–Btw, thank you for saying such nice things about the poem. Knew I shouldn’t have answered at 3 a.m. My manners went to sleep before I did 🙂