Formal enough, I thought, to wear sheer stockings
and a garter belt (yes, I, too, like its lace);
casual enough to be shoeless and almost naked
for the look of anticipation on your face;
surreptitious enough not to seek or elicit
the neighbors' nosy questions, or chance of
intrusion; but openly enough, in this hothouse,
to offer you, in fullest bloom, my love.