From the 2003 edition of The Muse: Striptease

From the 2003 edition of The Muse: Striptease
Photo by Rob Potter / Unsplash

Standing in your attire 

like a bird, 

you’ve preened your plumage, 

a perfect beauty for all to see. 

but nothing comes of false feathers.

free your hair from bonds 

of gel and spray, from sculptures 

made for mass approval. 

let each strand waywardly wander

whenever it feels fit.

scrape away the paints,

dyes, glosses, and polishes

you see so fit to prime

each year, with fresh coats and colors 

from cuticle to follicle, 

from chin to cheek.

 

remove the cloth that covers 

for it’s woven from assumptions,

and whispers false fancies 

in other men’s minds. 

show truth barenaked 

on an empty stage. 

Jeremiah Oehlerich