4 June 2012
SHELL GAME
Everybody’s life is tough
and so our skin grows thick and rough.
Still, those bruises split and swell
until they harden into shell.
Now we crawl and scrape along
and kid ourselves we’ve gotten strong
when all we do is shrink and hide
and pull our head and legs inside.
Now you say you want to see
my inner soul, the real me,
as if I could just strip away
all these horned and armored plates.
If I pried them off for you,
is there something you could do
to soothe this pink and tender flesh
that beats within my bony breast?
Don’t you walk away from me
to leave me here in misery.
I dared to have some faith in you;
that’s one mistake I’ll always rue.
I lumber off into the dark
and think how far I missed the mark.
Naked truth bears such a price
that few of us will pay it twice.
Opuss № I