With buttons and cinches,
Whalebone and wire,
She was pinch-waisted and corseted…
Her bodice so tight,
Her bosom so squeezed
It blossomed above
Her dress’s low neckline.
With a stiff underskirt,
Her petticoat flared,
Her hose was secured by garters and snaps.
And some who might have been tempted to lust,
Found that unlacing the whalebone and wire
Outlasted desire.