Bathers

Bathers, 1950 by George Tooker

A prompt from Magpie Tales

*I see you.  

Watching us. 

Hiding behind your jelly roll hair trying to look cool with weed hanging out of your mouth. Your chrome-plated image doesn't impress me.  

Sister Rosemary warned us about boys like you.  Hot-rodders, she called them.  Sister Rosemary blushed as she told us in class how we could be taken advantage of by boys. Some of the girls giggled and whispered as if it was a good thing.  

Back seat bingo was a game I didn't play so matter how well you can burn rubber. You don't razz my berries.

You'd better split unless your cruising for a bruising.  I hear Sister Rosemary coming. She'll go ape if she finds you here...looking at us.

*If you weren't around during the fifties, go here to understand the slang.

Saturday Centus Dog Days of Summer...Boris

The place to go to join the fun 

Is Ms Jenny's  She's the one.

Word was out

Boris was a snitch

Been hanging with Kitty Klan

Letting ‘em scratch his itch.

A lesson must be taught

The Canine Corps agreed

The Code would be enforced

Boris must know his breed.

Boris had been loyal

Time-tested and true

Somewhere along the way

He traded his bark for “mew”.

After a secret meeting

The vote counted twice

The Corps decided

Boris must be “iced”.

Many volunteered

Alpha Male stood tall

“The pups must learn”

He sent them all.

The pups roved far

Following scent and Alpha’s advice
They found poor Boris

And “put him on ice".

*To "ice' someone is to kill them.  To be "put on ice" is to save it for later.  I believe this is slang from the forties.