Pat Beckerman

For Mr. Goodyear
Pat Beckerman

On that sunny Easter Sunday,
the Living Girdle
did not consume my thighs
to keep itself alive
but merely contained them
voraciously
and shaped them to a narrowed gait

And I walked so proudly
in my celery-hued suit,
handmade, and so carefully
stitch by stitch by steady stitch,
down to its A-line skirt

Yes, I walked proudly
to church then home again
alone, but for one friend:
my living latex underling
the Playtex living underthing
that choked my pubescent thighs
with my passionate permission
to a meek yet firm submission.

Mimicking the flawless fawns
I’d seen in "Seventeen"
I was but thirteen, and yet
was vying with my close companion,
my Goodyear support system,
for my each and every breath.

I didn’t know that I was beautiful…
so ripe, so sensual….and so
alive!
within my blooming hips and thighs;
I didn’t know I could
BE beautiful
without compression!

The Summer Gazebo Readings are held each Monday evening at 7pm in June, July & August. Each evening 4-5 authors and poets share their work from our Gazebo on Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. SGR is produced by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside. Funds raised through sponsorships help send underprivileged kids to Kamp Kiwanis each summer. This summer marks our 7th season!