Naked Unlike Nude Requires Another
(Unpublished)
Day by day we acquire the armor
Thick, thin, leather, metal, deflect the harsh words
Hide the subtle flaws, making sure they do not se
the struggles, confusions, the deaths,
the betrayals, the survivor remorse,
the embarrassment of living lies unseen.
Armor the confidence on my sleeve
The armor’s weight becomes familiar
A second skin, the one my mother forgot to give
Integrated into the soul, my outer, my proud polished,
beautiful skin seamless to the inside
The easy of dropping the clothes.
The perfect facade nude, seen and unseen.
The smile the greatest eclipse; Disclosure the ultimate veil.
But then another interrupts the flow,
Seeing beyond my sight
making a mockery of the mirror.
She knows the armor well
The hardness, the glib, the confidence,
the deflections, the easy smile
She knows the contours and curves
She reminds that acceptance, inclusion, are but
temporary, provisional and expensive
The truth be told, being seen not adored the greatest love
The other that surprises, seeing beyond the smile
The armor finally too heavy
The armor that kept in as much as kept out
Falling away, the raw skin exposed to the sun
Love the most dangerous event of life,
Stripping the protections, wanting to be real,
The other the destruction and rebirth of me
Being naked requires another
Pure presence is not one but two
