Elaine Jones

THE NAKED SHOW

The curtain went up,
the lights were turned on,
the audience gasped and quietness fell.
There was I, in a chair.
In my wheelchair, I was.
Naked.
Not a stitch on.
The lights were in my face.
I could not see the audience,
but I could hear them
. Voices were coming from everywhere,
from the left, from the right,
from the upstairs, from the front row.
Men's voices.
Women's voices.
Deep voices, high voices, low voices
which echoed everywhere.
They think I cannot hear.
I could hear them laughing.
I could hear giggling.
I could hear them making fun.
Taking the piss.
What is she doing?
Stupid disabled!
She is naked, too!
Silly, cow!
A male voice shouted:
"I would not like to take her home tonight"
Another one said: "You can have her".
Another one called out: "Nothanks".
The lights went off.
The audience shouted: "What is going on?"
"We want our money back!"
"This is taking the piss!"
The lights came on again.
And this time there were twelve of us,
all in wheelchairs,
all naked,
all with different disabilities.
Once again the audience laughed from everywhere.
They called out remarks.
Insults were coming from everywhere.
We sat in our wheelchairs Naked.
We sat in our wheelchairs Proud.
We sat in our wheelchairs Writers.
We sat in our wheelchairs Actresses.

We sat in our wheelchairs Painters.
We sat in our wheelchairs Mothers.
We sat in our wheelchairs Wives.
We sat in our wheelchairs Lovers.
We sat in our wheelchairs Poets.
We sat in our wheelchairs Teachers.
We sat in our wheelchairs Human beings.
We sat in our wheelchairs Women.

The curtain went down.
There was a quietness from the audience.
A slow clap of hands started.
Then the cheering came.
The whistles and the clapping got faster.
The curtain went up.
All lights came on.
Twelve women in wheelchairs.
Naked.
Stole the show.
The curtain went down.

* * *

FROM A DREAM

I come from
the moon,
a star,
the sea,
the waves,
Mother and Father,
love making,
a little room by the seaside
and from a dream

Elaine Jones is 54 years old, has cerebral palsy and loves writing. She left schools when she was sixteen. She uses a speech communication synthesizer computer called a Camleon. She has written thirteen poetry books. She loves going to theatres, concerts, operas, and meeting friends and going shopping.