Diane Wakoski "Red Bandanna"

The first stanza beautifully introduces the meaning of the poem in its entirety. It talks about the interpretations of wearing a bandanna. And that interpretation is that people wear them to make impressions of a tough and rough persona. For example the author says, "obnoxious, aggressive-you're the bull wearing your own red flag." words like "aggressive" and "obnoxious" are terms that have a negative arrogant connotation. The poem also gives sound a devilish person because the color red is symbolic to the devil but also she says "And who knows what has enraged you." Then she goes on to say "for your eyes can't see it," which can be an indication that the person doesn't see anything wrong with the negativity because they're eyes are red as well as the bandanna.
As I read more into the poem i get the sense that the poem is about maybe a guy that did the speaker wrong and took advantage of her trust. "THE AIDS QUILT," is when the disease stuck out to me and I thought to myself, AIDS can be transmitted through the blood (symbolic to the image of red). Then she says, "while I seem now only to be charging at red flags of artistic and academic deceit." The word charge has a strong and angry demeanor so she possibly upset with the "suspect". And deceit means to deceive someone, to gain they're trust to their advantage to only hurt the person. The speaker then talks about the displeasure of the guy who let her down because she says, "But today, you've left me not smiling, and even less interested than I was before I met you in bull fights,in blood sport." At the end of the poem, last stanza, seems to be smiling even through the hurt and pain. Nevertheless, she doesn't feel that that the culprit is worthy of her because she doesn't deserve to be treated wrong and dishonestly. She says "less willing to smile at you or at any young matador or new sailor with my once deductive, though never dishonest, red-bandanna smile." So i"d conclude that the themes of the poem is about "trust."