Rita S Spalding Poetry | An influential American poet

Rita S Spalding

We Are Triangle Women 

where is the dress from long ago
with white wrinkles across the skirt
hemline torn from croquet winnings
straw hats flat and hiding the sun

romantic submissions lie down
their heads bowed low with acceptance 
gibson girls embraced bright thoughts
til fires came and burned them hot

their young white oak bones on sidewalks 
wedding bands ivory broaches
told stories of who they once were 
eyelashes fluttered filled with tears

futures that were never to come
threads that would never be stolen
steel doors that were never opened
shoes that pumped pedals pumped no more

they stood and marched like tin soldiers 
on floors of men and into streets 
they stood tall in large see-through bubbles
surrounded by rounded mother arms

wearing softly wrinkled white skirts
banners held high above their souls
the cold century stared ahead
one day their lives again would be

with heads bowed low in gender shame 
broken hair combs and sidewalk bones 

stroked in a moment swept by pens
demanding their hemlines be torn 

they are less women than white skirts

with new hats to hide their crying

Award winning poet Rita S. Spalding has been published in 18 Calliope anthologies, National Library of Poetry, AX-POW Magazine, The Heartland Review, Kentucky Monthly Magazine, Keeping the Flame Alive, Fallen, Rebirth, The Rye Whiskey Review, Walden’s Poetry and Reviews, Poet-Tree Magazine, and Kentucky Humanities. Abstract Ribbons, was published in 1992 and in 2025 two more books were published, What is Beauty, and The Eighth.  She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
She was featured in podcasts and the Kentucky Author Celebration, Kentucky Writer Celebration, Insomniacathon, Vagabond Poet National Tour, and 2025 Ohio Valley Folkways Symposium.