“Raising the Roof”

Back then, in 1974, when the Danskin bodysuits were in style, I knew everyone at that party would have one on.
So, I thought.
What could we do to make us that fruit loop in a bowl of cheerios?
Maybe we could take our Southern Georgia style, and throw in a pinch of that up North New York,
And show these ladies how we dare to be different.
My intentions were never to be adorable, but rather, authentic and original.
We placed our multi-colored straw hats on our head, and instead of putting the scarf that matched our outfit around our neck,
We put it on the hat.
I remember seeing my own grandmother wearing one of these same hats during her gardening days.
But my girls and I put a new twist to it.
See, sneers and snickers never hindered us because we had our mind set on one thing, turning heads that night.
The difference we felt with these hats on, no longer made them hats, we felt Royal, and they then became our “crowns.”
Because on account of how we worked our style at that dance, we set a new trend for the trend setters in this town.

A straw hat.