Her beckoning hand lures
Come to me
Toward forbidden fruit
It begs.
Should I obeyed the call
And succumb to
Unbounded pleasures?
Written for Jim Adams’ Thursday Inspiration, where the word is “hand.” Also for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (lure) and Word of the Day Challenge (forbidden).
When I saw that today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt was “baggy trousers,” I decided to dig down into my archives and repost something I wrote back in August of 2017.
I’ve already written one post about manscaping and another one about murses and fanny packs. So why not, I thought, go for the trifecta when it comes to men’s fashion trends?
Today’s men’s fashion topic is “sagging,” which is a way of wearing pants that sag so that the top of the pants are significantly below the waist — sometimes even below the butt — to reveal much of the wearer’s underwear.
Supposedly, the origin of sagging came from prisons, where the inmates, who were prohibited from wearing belts, often wore sagging prison-issued uniforms, and they carried that look with them once they were back on the outside.
The problem, though, is that pants were never intended to be worn that way. They are supposed to be worn at the waist. That’s how they’re designed. That’s how they fit.
So what the hell is going on with guys who wear their pants with the top at or below their butt cheeks? I can’t imagine that it’s comfortable to wear pants that way. And since most of those I see wearing their pants like that have belts on, it’s not because their pants are too large and keep falling down.
Maybe they want to show off their fancy boxer shorts. After all, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy who wears tighty-whities sagging his pants. Is it suppose to be a fashion statement?
Maybe those who sag think it gives them swagger, the appearance of defiance or insolence. Maybe they’re tying to send the message that they are dangerous dudes and are not to be messed with.
Well, I just don’t get it. If sagging is a fashion statement, I would really like someone explain it to me. Because if it’s meant to send a message about the sagger, the only message I’m getting is that they look totally ridiculous.
But hey, I’m just an aging Baby Boomer. I used to wear tie-dyed t-shirts and bell bottom jeans. So what do I know?
“It’s so far away,” Jerry’s mother lamented.
“I know, Ma, but it’s a great opportunity,” Jerry said, giving his mother a hug and wiping away her tears. “I figure I can get there in four days without pushing it too hard.”
“But surely you could have found a job right here in Buffalo instead of on the complete other side of the country.”
“San Antonio is not on the complete other side of the country,” Jerry said. “Here, let me show you.” He pulled out a map of the United States, pointed to the top right and said, “Here’s Buffalo, Ma.” Then he moved his finger down and to the lower left and stopped at San Antonio. “See, Ma, there are only five states between New York and Texas: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and then Texas.”
“Well you be sure to write to me when you get there,” his mother said.
“Don’t worry, Ma, I’ll email and text you on the way and every day when I’m there.”
“No emails and text messages,” his mother said. “I don’t know how they work. Just write me letters and call me on the phone, like regular people do.”
“Fine,” Jerry said, “I’ll text you…I mean call you…when I get to the motel tonight.”
“I love you, son.”
“I love you too, Ma.”
Written for the Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner prompt from Roger Shipp. Photo credit: Hans Isaacson from Unsplash.
Welcome to June 24, 2021 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.
I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).
Today’s word is “lure.”
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.
And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.
This, That, and the Other 