Skin, oh the falsities stretched over flesh
As a smile, or a laugh, or a wish
Twisted in foreign hieroglyphics
Subtle nuances of portrayal
With which we deftly parry
The thrust of probing questions
Or misguided salutations
But skin is not what I am
And this boxcar bears no resemblance to the passenger within
Merely a painted vessel of passage
Oft’ the canvas of a graffiti made to fade
A forest, blocked by trees
Or, perhaps, a tale that no one would believe
That is us
That is me
Beneath
vampireweather
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vampireweather 
I love these two lines VW:
“A forest, blocked by trees
Or, perhaps, a tale that no one would believe”
Just wonderful poetry. I found your piece haunting… excellent writing!
Thank you, Angela. I seem to be graced with a certain skill for “haunting”. Perhaps I am not lively enough 😉
🙂 Well, even if you do get a bit more lively, never stop being haunting – it is this beautiful quality, like a walk through a speaking forest on a moonlit night, that draws me so much to your work and, for me, is your hallmark. Pure gold 🙂
You are too kind 🙂
The “you” shines through these chosen words.
Thank you, Ben!
Skin, oh the falsities stretched over flesh…………………………………..
I love the way you use word to express.
Thank you, ma’am. You are very kind 🙂
There is such beauty in the way you express your ideas about issues that we seriously need to contemplate. Each line is riddled with wit and leaves the reader no option but to pause and ponder. Wonderfully written, Vampire 🙂
Why thank you, my friend! I am grateful for your kind words 🙂
An interesting exploration on what the “self” actually is and where it lies… nice metaphors and images.
Thank you, Holly!
How wonderfully you capture in these lines the faces of self-protection, of hypocrisy, of white lies, of kind intentions, of “putting our best foot forward”, hiding ourselves even from ourselves! Thank you SO MUCH, VW!
It is always grand to hear your perception of my writing. Thank you, granbee
Interesting!
Thank you…I think! 🙂
Sorry I found it very interesting, good and interesting but just as I wrote the comment the phone rang!! 😉 xx
Haha it’s quite alright. I’m glad it’s a good sort of interesting 🙂
🙂
I have always loved and admired your way with words….this was great….and I love the new look of your blog, it’s very SaVvy and very you……:)
Celeste
I didn’t realize I changed the look of my blog, but thank you! I will have to go look at it now and see what changed 🙂
written well 🙂 🙂
very much enjoyed this piece (beginning to end)
Thank you so much! I am grateful to hear that 🙂
You’re welcome… I really enjoyed it 🙂
Wow!! Master-crafted, VW! The skin disguises who we really are… and the facades of expression are our emotional skin, also hiding our true selves…. Many layers to peel back in this metaphor. I love it!
Never trust a smile to refer to happiness on the inside 🙂
No we are more than Skin VW and as we leave this flesh behind us, we have many layers indeed .. And when they are peeled back, there is then no place to hide from our true selves..
Beautiful poem with a deep understanding and meaning VW xx ~Sue
Skin is so deceiving it seems. Beauty is a complex concept 🙂
Stunning! And the graphic goes perfectly…
**But skin is not what I am
And this boxcar bears no resemblance to the passenger within**
I can relate very much…very often… to your words.
Thank you, bipolarmuse. I’m glad to see you back again 🙂
🙂 Thank you! As you can see… I am trying to catch up on my reading…
Again, your unique, brilliant language shines along with your excellent metaphors…wonderful, VW! 🙂
🙂
Never judge a book by it’s cover was never said so eloquently 🙂
Andrea XOXO
Aw, thank you Andrea 🙂
Oh snap I hate it when I put an apostrophe in “its” when it doesn’t belong, I’m a grammar nazi lol
Andrea
The world needs more people like you! 🙂
Are you kidding? We’d all be running around on the beach quoting lines of poetry and drinking rum.
On second thought, not so bad 🙂
Andrea
What a glorious thought
Beautiful
Very kind of you to say, my friend. Thank you