A Spy is Born
December 1959, my first act of espionage.
In the corner of my parents’ bedroom, a cedar chest.
Tucked under blankets and Grandma’s tablecloths,
I uncovered two dolls. Blonde topknot ponytails,
breasts with points like sharpened pencils,
zebra striped swimsuits. I sat cross-legged
on the floor, fingered floral cotton dresses
that fit in the palm of my hand. Bits of lace
adorned the neckline and hem of flannel
nightgowns, made with fabric leftover
from winter nighties Mum sewed for me
and my younger sister. I pushed them aside
as I searched for the wedding gown, the one thing
certain to elevate my second-grade popularity,
overcome my skinny arms that held a book
better than any of the playground jungle gym bars.
All month I fell asleep to a rhythmic clacking,
dreams filled with sheer blouses, plaid shorts,
felt circle skirts flying from Mum’s sewing machine
like shooting stars. When I tore the gift wrap
from my last present, my mother thought the dampness
on my cheeks was from joy and surprise.
• • •
Delaware native Nina Bennett is the author of Mix Tape (2018), and Sound Effects (2013, Broadkill Press Key Poetry Series). Her poetry has been nominated for the Best of the Net, and has appeared or is forthcoming in publications that include Switchback, I-70 Review, Gargoyle, Bryant Literary Review, Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine, Philadelphia Stories, and The Broadkill Review. Awards include 2014 Northern Liberties Review Poetry Prize, and second-place in poetry book category from the Delaware Press Association (2014). Nina is a founding member of the TransCanal Writers (Five Bridges, A Literary Anthology).