BardBliss: Striptease

Oh, those lilies!

Listening to: So funny...

Today's Bliss Formula: At the library, I will take some time to peruse gardening books, looking for an authentic way to integrate a pond into an English cottage garden. Oh, how I love the planning of new gardens!

Striptease

Starting on the upper edge
of my forehead, I grip
at my hairline and with
my nails peel back
just enough to begin.
I do not wince
but remove
my hair like an old wig.
Slowly, I pull around
my eyes and nose and
mouth. I must be extra
careful here -- the skin, delicate,
could easily tear.
Once at my neck, it puddles
quickly to my
collarbones.

The shoulders present some
difficulty. But I wriggle,
having years of practice
with wet swim suits.
Each hand must be
placed to my mouth
to tug off the tips
of my fingers. I work
more quickly as the skin
around my belly and hips
and thighs is already
loose and willing.
I sit on the edge
of the bed and with the expertise
gained from nylons, scrunch and
gather to each knee and then
to each ankle until
one foot at a time
it all lays before me.

I gather it up and take
it to the basement sink
where soap and lukewarm
water are waiting. It takes years
but I get off every smear,
every last bit of dust, scrubbing
and soaking, rinsing and
refilling the sink and
starting over, again
and again.
When I finish,
when the skin glistens
and is baby soft,
it is summer, so I hang
it outside -- clothes pins on
big toes -- to dry
in the warm gentle winds.

--christine c. reed