in fitzroy

who had

a fetish

for soiled

women’s undies

he would

walk the streets

with a garbage bag

and buy

used panties

off the whores

I’m not sure

how much

the girls

charged him

per 

pair

but rumour was

if the panties were crusty

he was prepared

to pay more

i recently

visited fitzroy

after moving out

a decade ago

and was 

disheartened to find

that 

used panties

had been replaced 

by 

middle class mummies

  © Vanessa de Largie 2021