Hello, Brian.
It is you,
The one with hardened shells
At the end of long, jointed fingers.
The one with tough gems
Stuck in your soft gums,
And iridescent irises,
Full of terror and surprises.
I see your subtle tremor
Under layers of smiles
And thick coats of silver honor,
Along with other suppurations.
I see the subtle batter of shy lashes,
At the mention of intimate dances,
At the sound of violent retches,
Knowing that it always watches.
I can feel your disgust when
Plates are handed at the table.
I can sense your bile then
Burning soft flesh, like an old cable.
I can hear your insides churn
When someone mentions eating,
I know how much you yearn
To ignore its own needing.
And you twist and turn after meals,
Wishing it would fester faster,
Or you would throw it all up,
To avoid another gory disaster.
The shape of your body lays in pieces,
Distorted by whispers
And intense glances
At all that ripples.
I know that what you view
Leans towards inexplicable and monstrous,
But I assure you, Brian,
That your skin is nothing but lustrous.
Stretch and bend,
Like mud and clay,
Because although your teeth are hardened,
If your skin were,
You would've been dead and rotten.
Do lopsided letters
And rainy weather
Ruin the temptation
To write of life's pleasures?
I see your need
To run and hide.
I know you can't bear
To see your skin wide.
I know you'll shake and shiver
At the sight of lumps in fabric
And you'll think, bitter,
That it was you who caused it.
I know that you wish to flatten,
To discard, remain forgotten,
But you've been given
Another kind of fate.
I know that you desire
To be made of wire,
Of metal or of stone,
Not of flesh and bone.
But your skin is not wildfire,
Your organs still your own,
And so, organic, you can transpire
And shift and change your given glow.
A whisper, a thread,
But it will linger
Until you, despite your dread,
Will wrap it around your finger.
Come on Brian,
Come with me.
There's much to uncover
While you still breathe.
Your skin is not the ending,
Not while you can see,
That being human is a blessing,
And you're just like me.
