skinny dippin'

a poem by

mark peters

down by the creek
on hot summer days
laughing and joking
and playing kids games
stripped to your shorts
showing some skin
taking a run up
and jumping right in

splashing around
grabbing each other
wrestling about
dunking friends under
scaring the fish
while laughing aloud
nobody cares
you're not close to town

then one of your friends
gives a surprise
floats on his back
things point to the sky
his shorts are now gone
nowhere to be seen
somebody laughs and says
'ewww, that's obscene'

then all of you follow
like sheep to the slaughter
suddenly shorts are all
thrown from the water
a neat little pile
can be seen on the shore
red yellow and blue
not needed no more

games carry on
like nothing has changed
but each of you knows
things aren't quite the same
curious boys
all glancing about
hoping for a glimpse
trying to figure things out

then shadows grow long
the sun sinks down low
its just about time
for you all to go
so it's out of the water 
and on to the sand
bashful at first
things covered by hands

then somebody laughs
and dares to be bold
the others all follow
without being told
shorts get pulled on
over bodies still dripping
thoughts filling your heads
all about skinny dippin'