Sunday, November 8, 2009

Old Men Bathing

Old men bathing
Nipples sagging
Pubes, matting.

Steam rising
Eyes drooping
Moustache, white.

Toes inspected
Fingers pruning
Teeth soaking.

Pubes, matting
(Unseen but felt
Cautiously.)

Book pages yellowing
Toilets flushing
Antacids dissolving.

Country music playing
Synapses firing
Eyes unfocused.

Hands over face,
Moisture from brow,
Balls sagging.

Liver spots widening
Balls sagging,
Pubes, dripping.

America is singing,
Children are frowning,
Old Men are bathing.

From 'MULE & HORSE'

6 comments:

  1. You do paint a picture Spencer. Interesting.

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  2. I wrote this not long after my family and I joined a local racquet club. I remember being somewhat surprised when I brought my son back into the steam room for the first time, and all of these older, well-to-do movers and shakers were just hanging out butt-naked in all varieties of unflattering poses, laughing, talking about stocks, and waving their saggy lawyer balls in my son's face. You have to keep in mind, he was only about waist high at this time, so who knows what kind of damage that scene inflicted on his little mind.

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  3. i say you did good by your kid. Make'em look at the old man balls now and get it out of the way. Help them plot the trajectory of their lives better.

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  4. How could you could go into a steam room and be surprised at seeing balls? Watch out, if your son sees balls he might turn gay! Welcome to nature, Spencer. Hide the National Geographics!

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  5. Of course the point of the poem is the juxtaposition of the power the men in the room weild in society with the inadequacy of their deteriorating bodies.

    And really, nudity is not offensive to me, but the unreserved glee with which this particular group slung their junk around was amusing.

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