Skinny Dipping
My god, my body has
changed as if my old place of business
has been shuttered.
Or like Look, the best snow man ever,
reduced to a puddle,
a rotten carrot, two buttons,
a stocking cap gone out of fashion.
Thank you, Lord, for my body,
how it resembles a car that resembles
a coffin with wheels,
dented but not yet totaled.
My body a drowned treasure chest
picked clean by pirates. Thank you,
Gravity, for keeping me grounded,
but just once I want to be a helium balloon.
To be naked with no shame
no matter how many people point.
There’s an American Association for Nude Recreation
but I’m not a joiner. I don’t have any friends
that would be into skinny dipping
and maybe that’s what’s missing.
But I won’t go skinny dipping alone.
I’ll learn to swim in the body I have.
I’ll be a stream that’s made peace with the ocean.
I promise I was young once, but too self-conscious
to dance. I should have danced, music or no music.
Now I’m the lake I dog-paddle in.
Now my body is a doorway into a room on fire.
Now my body is a framed painting that my children colored over.
Sometimes I lie in my bed and dream that my body is new.
Sometimes I lie in my bed and dream of never waking.
Sometimes I write aubades that want to be gunshots.
Sometimes I think there should be more of me.
I want to sing into Van Gogh’s severed ear
and let him paint me nude and blue,
my face unfinished, my body a temporary address
in a town you never hear about except
when fugitive criminals get tracked down there.
Someone in every group of skinny dippers thinks
it’s funny to hide other people’s clothes.
Someone always takes pictures.
The cops always arrive but never join in.
18 thoughts on "Skinny Dipping"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Just love the body resembling a car resembling a coffin with wheels — and all the repetition. Your tone is wonderful: I believe this voice and trust this voice to take me somewhere interesting. And it does. Nice one.
Good one. I especially like the body images in the first stanza.
I really feel this. Especially that first line. Boom, got me.
Thank you. The world is in dire need of funny poems
This poem is about my body aging into a worn-out husk that no pne will ever want to see naked. I don’t know where you get humor from that.
“Now I’m the lake I dog-paddle in.” Yes! Enjoyed reading this.
Hi Skinny Dipping, I’m dad! I’m so proud of your use of imagery and unique words! Fun read!
We were both thinking about aging bodies today! great poem!
“Sometimes I write aubades that want to be gunshots.”
I really enjoyed this one, Tom!
Great imagery!
Great images – as always. And very sly. Friendly amendment: We don’t call it “skinny dipping” here at our pond. We call it “going for a swim.” God help the UPS delivery person if she or he shows up at the wrong time. 😉
Thanks everybody!
Had me from here:
My god, my body has
changed as if my old place of business
has been shuttered.
Well done!
Just excellent writing here…
Much appreciated, mtpoet.
I could live in this poem…maybe I do.
What a nice thing to say!
Wonderful collection of images–all fresh, and the last line is great.