'The twenty-ninth bather,' poetry by Rob Couteau.

The twenty-ninth bather

by Rob Couteau

Published in: The Taylor Trust, Feb. 2009 (CA: Palmdale)

The twenty-ninth bather

“Dancing and laughing along the beach
came the twenty-ninth bather,
The rest did not see her,
but she saw them and loved them.”
(Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass.)

Whitman
was the twenty-ninth bather,
disguised
as a frowsty maiden.
Through her eyes
he relived
every sunbeam,
every glittering stream
of water
beading down
the young men’s
breasts.

And he lifted his Victorian skirt,
and he waded knee deep
and touched
the bathers
unseen,
radiant
in his
delight.

This poem is featured in:

The Sleeping Mermaid, poems by Rob Couteau;
with an Introduction by Christopher Sawyer-Lauçanno

publications

fine art

Updated: 12 June 2011 | All text Copyright © 2011 | Rob Couteau | key words: The twenty-ninth bather | poems about Walt Whitman