Topless Swimming Pool

for god so loved the world 
he traced it, and traced it
until the outside lines became dark

he wrote the hearts of young boys
into the margins of a topless swimming 
pool, then asked them not to look

they over-gesture as gentlemen, inviting 
women to step in front of them 
in line to the board

one of the boys has just seen his first pair 
of breasts go diving off. he waits to react 
until she's under water. I tell him 

that women can have their tops off 
anywhere men can in this city
he says that seems more fair

I envy his long life, full of shortening
I try to shield my eyes, but they are 
widening, starting to get pointy in

the middle. I turn my head to the line 
at Tube Rentals, where topless women 
are being gawked at by boys like me

boys like me offer to hold their inflatables
saying how awful it must be to having 
boys like me gawk at them constantly

all the boys are like me, with places 
inside they can’t reach. I watch 
the young ones strap on their goggles 

some have never even cut their hair
they dive to the bottom of the pool, then 
come up screaming that they’ve touched it