BALLAD OF THE READY-SKIRT-GIRL Poem by Mario Rivero

This is the ballad of the girl prodigal with herself
who happy and shooting off colours
greets with her my-dear-love smile
all those who talk to her intimately with husbandly words
Men she has never seen before
solemnly rough or with rough jokes

They know and they look for her greedily
laying bare her white thighs in the darkness
A girl made for a bunch of flowers
a flirtatious girl
willing to do everything and for everybody
A girl who loved much too quickly and with all her body
and badly understood she was for that

The girl
the ready-skirt-girl
spreads out the wave of her skirt towards me . . .

It happened as usual on the lazy fields of grass
when the sun was the sun and the heat the heat
Her mouth open to the fat spongy clouds of summer
and her skirt over her face covering her like a garden

Out of the corner of her eye she looked
when for her pleasure her favourite little friend
wooed her in a stifled embarrassed voice . . .
and something frothy and contented happens to her face
and makes it flush
as if he were tickling her with a green twig

Young men and old got between her sheets
to keep their world in peace
Happy to be near her
with a load of caresses
or an idiotic smile
before embracing her marvel

The girl . . .
the girl creates waves she turns into a beach
and her skirt sings like the waves!

The day was lazy and the night busy
They came one by one
or all at once
They formed a guard of honour for her
and they wrapped themselves in her smile
Her heart was a hostel
open for one night

And as if her little heart was a newly made nest
the toughest and the greatest trouble makers
came to her pleading: "Give us love give us love"
Tiredly confirming the good law of money
the ready-heart-girl
the ready-skirt-girl
stretches her naked arms out . . .

She stretches out her body with calm movements
night and day
for one and all
she opens herself up she turns around she shows herself
with naive wisdom
and what one sees is beautiful it's strangely pleasing
and as she does all these things she will be "herself"

And that's why when I listen in some place
to words muttered by someone passing by
to another girl with her heart also bursting
My swift thoughts go
to this ready-skirt-girl
intent on life and with good sense
who had only
that particular flame to offer
a fire to give life warmth
a fire to make life better

The girl
the ready-skirt-girl
comes towards me moving with the slowness of a leaf . . .

Go then - all you girls
with the flame that warms the blood and brightens the eyes
winter is here outside it's here in me
But tonight before the sleeping pills
let the image of the ready-skirt-girl appear
more and more slowly
making more and more waves
I need all her powerful memories . . .

The girl
the ready-skirt-girl
and her-beach-her-beach-her-beach everywhere . . .