Skin, Just Skin

A Dramatic Triologue

Eve Ensler

(To be performed by Three Women)

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s so can’t stop

Take off shirt

Undo belt

Clumsy

You do it

No, I’ll do it

Undo bra

One more hook

Strip down

WOMAN 2:     Sometimes it’s all about

Skin just skin

Just the way skin

WOMAN 3:    Oh God, sometimes it’s like mouth on mouth

Teeth

Tongue

Have to

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes

It’s accidental

You thought you were friends

And this current

Turns into one week

In a small hotel room in East Berlin.

WOMAN 2:     Oh, nice. Who was that?

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s

About watching

WOMAN 2:     Or being watched

Undressing in front of him

In front of the big window

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s you putting a hand

On yourself

And him watching

And Rome watching him

Watching

WOMAN 2:     Sometimes

It’s a crowded boat filled

With cheering tourists

On the Adriatic

As you’re both caught there

Naked humping in the sand

And you don’t stop

WOMAN 1:     You didn’t stop?

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s scuff marks on the off-yellow carpet

In the posh South Kensington apartment

WOMAN 2:     Sometimes it’s a dare

Forty-five floors up

Mouth on him

In a building that once existed

And he comes by the time

WOMAN 1:     Oh God, I always dreamed of doing that

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s driving on the mad

Italian speedway at a thousand miles

Your face buried in his jeans

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s a melting hot

Summer day and you’re passed out

In the afternoon

And you wake up with his rugged face

Between your legs

WOMAN 2:     Sometimes it’s a work night

And you get home early

And you take a bath

And undress

And play with yourself

Lying there casual and stark naked

On the bed

And you’re on your knees before she remembers

It’s been a hard day

WOMAN 3:    I didn’t know you were with women . . . when was that?

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s the twenty-nine-year-old thin boy

From the village

With the curly black hair

Who comes to your summer house

On the edge of the sea

And kisses you and you know it’s August

And you’re suddenly not fifty-four

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s a song

WOMAN 2:     Or a joint

WOMEN 123:  Or too much chocolate

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s only chocolate

WOMAN 2:     Or birthday cake at midnight

Because one of you is married

WOMAN 3:    No, you didn’t

WOMAN 2:     I didn’t. I wanted to, but I didn’t

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes he just says do you mind

If I kiss you and it occurs to you that you don’t

And you end up with your mouth on his for eight hours and

The sun comes up

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes you wake up and he’s inside

You and your body is more aroused ’cause it’s

So early and you’re so

Sleepy and nothing has ever felt like that

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s that window

Wide open in Montauk

And it’s so bright you’re

Only wearing sunglasses

Looking out

As he takes you from behind

Sweating and screaming out

WOMAN 2:     And sometimes

It just happens in Portugal

For the first time in seven years

You find each other

And you’re not afraid

WOMAN 1:     Sometimes it’s the hysteria that comes

After he has been that deep inside you

And the crying is a way of coming

WOMAN 2:     And sometimes

It’s riding him like a bronco

WOMAN 3:    Or humping her like you’re about to get there

WOMAN 1:     And sometimes it’s the three of you in a hot tub

And you end up entangled not knowing

Whose hair whose mouth whose hand

WOMAN 2:     And sometimes you dress up

And they take it off you

WOMAN 3:    Sometimes it’s hardness

WOMAN 2:     It’s softness

WOMAN 1:     It’s grabbing

WOMAN 2:     It’s refusing

WOMAN 3:    It’s dangerous

WOMAN 1:     Embarrassing

WOMAN 2:     Sometimes it’s

“You’re beautiful”

WOMAN 3:    or

“God, your ass”

WOMAN 2:     “Your skin”

WOMAN 1:     And sometimes it’s so insanely funny

It’s ridiculous

(They all become hysterical)

WOMAN 2:     But mainly it takes longer

It’s all preparation

WOMAN 3:    You lose track of who begins

WOMAN 1:     Who’s on top

WOMAN 2:     Who got more

WOMAN 3:    Who’s inside who