Józef Simmler, Russian-Polish
“Great. Now Let’s Try a Pose Where You’re Stretching Before the Clothing-Optional Heat of the Ironman Triathlon,” 1841-42
Oil on panel
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/// One of several works called “Male Nude Study,”
he sits out in the cold, four cheeks ruddy.
Right arm chained to the wall,
it appears he may bawl.
They arrested just him, not his buddy.
/// It seems he and his date had been trailed
from the bar to his bed, then assailed.
Not allowed to get dressed
‘til he first had confessed,
he could not pay a bribe and was jailed.
/// At the bar he’d been given a nudge
by a muscular guy they called Pudge,
who was asked if he knew
of what else they might do.
The reply sounded something like “Fudge.”
/// The regime vowed to crack down on vice.
They assert how he loves isn’t “nice.”
To prove they are winning
they say he’s been sinning
and that now he must pay a steep price.
/// (Nowadays some “forget and forgive.”
Others gladly would pull out a shiv.
Whether treated as friend
still today will depend
on the customs and laws where you live.)
/// Though he begged, his cruel jailers won’t budge.
It’s as though they are holding some grudge.
Then his “date” came with bail
and he’s sprung from the jail.
(He’d hooked up with the son of a judge.)