Bather Arranging Her Hair - With Apologies To Pierre August Renoir

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in Vienna, Missouri… If I’da been a gentleman, I would a turned my back When I got to the swimmin’ hole today. Instead, I hid behind a tree and spied as she undressed; And Lord, the vision took my breath away. I knew that she was beautiful from watching her at school; The auburn scholar reading Parson Weems. But her beneath that cherry tree beside Ben Miller’s pond Was more than what I pictured in my dreams. It felt a bit dishonest though, I cannot tell a lie. I thought my heart would burst right through my chest. The cute straw hat she wore to church was lying with her clothes, Her cotton dress, her scarf and all the rest. When she moved here from Baltimore, I knew she’d bring me luck, But this reward was more than I deserve. As she stood pinning up her hair, I practiced what I’d say If I could only rustle up the nerve. Tomorrow we’ll be back at school to start the final week Before the summer frees us from our books. I know I’ll have to fight the urge to whisper in her ear, “Hey, I know how a naked goddess looks.”