Practical
The guards have come for us
We are to get clean clothes
But before they are issued
we must have a shower
They take us to a brick building
It has a wooden door
Orders are shouted
I don’t understand
Apparently our clothes are so dirty
that we must undress outside
I see the women around me are obeying
I see my arms copying them
Finally we are standing in a line
We look at each other
I see a long animal
tufted and white
An animal with many heads
and many breasts
Some young and tilted
Some old and loose
The sun is warm on my shoulders
I try to close my mind
The line starts to move
We are directed through the door
As we enter
I feel the darkness
My skin starts to rise and fall
to the pulse of my heart
There are metal showers heads
hanging from the ceiling
They are dry
I stand under one of them
I notice a shelf
with a piece of grey soap
My hand reaches out for it
I close my eyes
My body trembles
I wait for some sound or touch
There is a sudden hissing in the pipes
I feel the first drops of water touch my skin