the mystery

As a small child
I remember seeing my
mother's lingerie hanging
on the shower curtain bar
while I sat
in the only quiet room
in the house
reading dc comic books
on the toilet,
my legs going to sleep
from being there so long.
the days of the week
in scroll were embroidered
across each pair
of underwear she owned.
didn't she have a calendar?
was there a rule
to this clothing?
what if she wore fridays
pale blue number
on Tuesday, would she
forget we had school the next
day thinking
it was Saturday?
and those strange sheer
stockings, like fishnets,
they would hardly keep a leg
warm in winter.
what was going on
here? a mystery for a very
long time, until
it wasn't.