Prudity On Nudity Poem by Donna Pelan

I grew up in a little New Brunswick village
And I was shy as I could be
So how I mustered up the courage to leave
Will forever remain a mystery to me

But work after high school was non existent
And General Motors Oshawa was calling my name
So I packed my bags and ventured forth
In search of riches-or a bit of fame

I got that job at G.M. in no time
The money seemed too good to be true
But a steel strike in the States was the rumour
Had no idea just what I would do

I was dating a young man from the east coast
And really wishing to be away from him
So one day I boarded the bus to Toronto
And joined the military, on a whim

Within two weeks I`d signed the papers
Without the knowledge of anyone
I squeezed a medical in somehow
And before anyone knew, I was gone

We were all shipped to a base at Clinton
The girls in the class were a lot of fun
They all said they`d joined to see the world
But in many cases it was to flee from someone

We spent most of our time in classes
Or out on the parade square, doing our thing
The time was going by so quickly
And I felt I was starting to fit in

Then one day we were told to go bowling
It was a compulsory sport you see
You were never offered too many choices
When a member of the military

After bowling we were sent to shower
Before putting our uniforms back on
And we were herded into a large open room
With no curtains and all the lights on

Now, I was young and shy, and from the sticks
Had never witnessed naked bodies before
I looked around in every direction
Searching for an escape door

But there was not one to be found
And as far as I can recall
I told myself, should this happen again
I will surely go AWOL

Another incident happened sometime later
And this time I wanted to run again
We had to enter a room packed with our peers
Reach in a box, and draw out a name

Whatever we picked was to be the subject
Of a five minute speech we had to give
With no time to prepare, we had to face the class
I`m not sure that day I wanted to live

Now as a senior my past has come back to haunt me
When I became a member of the YMCA
Thought I would join the aqua fitness
To keep the ravages of arthritis away

As a friend and I entered the change room
Lo and behold there were nudes all around
They were now not the tight bodied of youth
But most of them wrinkled, age spotted, and round

No one seemed uncomfortable, not being clothed
But I remained wrapped in the towel that I took
And I found it difficult carrying on a conversation
Not being sure just where I should look

Now as far as my speaking in front of a group
I feel relatively at ease with that at last
Tho I do still studder periodically
My shyness it would seem is a part of my past

Now its taken forty years to get to this spot
And concidering all the cover-ups I`ve worn
I guess I might be as old as 120
To get as naked as the day I was born