Cinderella (1997)
Boxy Poster Tee
A present-day recreation of a childhood
favorite that never existed.
On a summer afternoon,
you head over to Mom’s. She’s let you know she’s planning to donate your old clothes and to come by and see if there’s anything you want.
You open her garage and begin going through boxes. You pause every so often and reminisce about the things you find, setting aside items occasionally that you know you’ll never wear again, just for the memory.
As you dig through another box,
you catch the corner of a faded blue-purple graphic on a light shirt, the print cracked from many washes. A memory pinpricks your mind as you reach through the assortment of other long-forgotten items.
Your breath hitches
as you grab it and unfold, scrunching up the thick tee and feasting your eyes on the faded print. Brandy. Cinderella. Whitney Houston. The sparkles. The prince. The stepsisters. The bald guy. You remember being a kid! How you and your sister belted the melodies over and over and danced like Brandy did.
You turn it over to the back and the memory compounds.
Oh, yeah! It had something on the back! Cinderella waltzes with the prince. The lyrics! The lilting song returns to your head and you sing with a smile as a light breeze wafts by. You flip the shirt back over in awe.
Finally, it appears.
It has been folded retail-style, a testament to your mother’s carefulness. This was your sister’s shirt. She gave it to you.
Though the print is worn
and the fabric a little distressed, the shirt is solid. Vintage. 90s. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. When did it end up in this box?
Yeah. You remember this.
