Monday 6 July 2015

bathers...


Bathers (1950) by George Tooker
Magpie Tales #277


on my way to some fragile nirvana
(fragile 
because it was just
a desperate quirk of
my mind)
I found the scents of the sea

strangely
I expected to be alone
wanted to be alone
but
there were others
just like me

at least some were
(ahem...
two were)

they stood
towelled and capped
in some frozen expectation
of an instruction
(perhaps a command)
to move forward

like handmaids
going through the predictions
of a tale

I sidled in line
unaware of another door
where one
sculpted body
appeared to be casually drying
herself

unaware
that my entrance
and her exit
were zagged
mirrored
underbelly
opposites

but
I stood in tight-lipped silence
until
a dark moment
turned
my silence
into
fear

of being
closely
watched

closely
monitored


Linking to;
Magpie Tales

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

great imagination!

Michael said...

somehow you girls always know...

Michael said...

Excellent response to this image Gemma, I did enjoy the progression of your poem. Well done....

Anonymous said...

Great story here! Nicely done.

Deepa said...

Lovely take on the prompt

Unknown said...

An interesting read and a wonderful take on the prompt


Rosey Pinkerton's blog

Anonymous said...

Very creative, Gemma!

brudberg said...

Sometimes you just must hate the company of others.

Kutamun said...

Never fear , it was that pesky Dawn Fraser , late again ...

Unknown said...

Nice write, appropriate to the mood. :-)

Helen said...

The visual of handmaids resonates with me .. Nicely done.

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