Hey kids! So ya, I went to the peelers (strippers) last weekend. It was an interesting experience. There was one chick I would have sworn was a guy in drag if she hadn't been nekid as as a jaybird. One was a 'biker babe' (I guess), one was a cowgirl (well, if white PVC chaps can qualify one as a cowgirl) and one was an "S&M Queen", for lack of a better term. Her stage name is Akasha Kane. She's the one Kristy (my A&B friend) wanted us to see. She's was right. She's talented. Anyway, I don't think it's something I'd want to make a part of my regular social routine, but it was fun to go and see what all the fuss is about. What struck me most is how blase most of the crowd is about the strippers. Sure, there's some hooting and hollering around the edge of the stage, but for the most part the guys just applaude politely at the end like they just finished listening to a lecture by Noam Chompsky. Very different from what I expected. Although, I wasn't totally sure what to expect. I guess it just amused me how comfortable the whole scene actually was. I sensed no tension at all. I think now I have a better understanding of what the appeal is for men. Of course, Diamonds is supposed to be one of the more up-scale joints in town. Oh, plus I got to meet some of the guys from The Las Vegas Crypt Keepers. Apparently Kristy used to date one of them. It was funny, because I thought they were the guys from the Krazy 8's. Those rockabilly boys wear strict uniforms! hee hee!

This one's for Akasha Kane, who holds more power in her tire chains and bull whips than most men carry in their wallets, if ya know what I mean...

PEELERS

Smooth and firm
young shimmering flesh
streched,
dangling from the neck,
acrobatic self-lynching
from gleeming chains:
the Story of O
risen from its hermetic grave.

She was blessing each barbarian
hollering
flinging their silver and gold
that burn
holes.
And we were watching,
absorbing the scene
like babes of fifteen

"Curiosity killed the cat,
Satifaction brought it back,"
he said.
And that,
somehow,
was supposed to win me over.