Wrinkles

from the moment i was born,
they knew it would be so —
my swaddling clothes were wrinkled —
that was the way i’d grow.
i grew from wrinkled underpants
to mostly crumpled shirts,
i wore my tights, 2 times too big,
under my crinkled skirts.
i grew into a wrinkled teen
in graduation gown,
and when i became queen i wore,
of course, a crumpled crown.
now i wear a tousled look
to match my crooked smile,
now it’s time to straighten out,
if only for a while.

© 1973 kStan(ly) Lanning