Hot Topic Corsets

i wanted to be fastened.
roped. bond. j helped latch
all the hooks all up my back
while k watched. we'd each
picked out a corset to try on.
j's was all black. k's pink.
mine accented by one snaking green ribbon.
dressing room mirrors. my knees
like little tea cup plates.
a girl is always a site of 
latching & vigilance. 
3 sixteen year old girls
fettering themselves in the middle
of a white neon-glowing mall. 
a pile of our canvas shoes at the back
of the dressing room like
discarded staircases.
is "sexy" always an attempt?
a mask? a tying up? 
i watched as the corset 
pulled me tighter.
raised my breasts. 
we turned to see all our angles.
took blurry pictures 
with flip phones.
ran hands through our own hair.
intimate with ourselves.
crossing arms over chests. 
ate our own skin from the mirror.
we didn't buy them
but afterwards we sat the three of us 
in the food court 
& chewed on buttery soft pretzels 
while talking about boys.
our everyday clothes now 
feeling loose 
& too forgiving.