The Layers of Skin

Peel back the layers, epidermis to the soul,

Truth buried deep, in the dirt, in the cold.

Sweat stains and scars, fingerprints on the fold,

Every crease in the skin, a story untold.

Snake shedding past lives, leaving 'em curled,

New skin raw, like I just entered the world.

The layers of skin, what’s underneath?

The pain, the joy, the love, the grief.

The layers of skin, they tell it all,

Stand tall, even when the layers fall.

Dermis thick, but the hurt still seep,

Needles in the pores, secrets don’t sleep.

Tattooed memories, ink runs deep,

Etched in the flesh where shadows creep.

Knees to the earth, but I don’t pray,

Kneeling just to feel the skin decay.

Stretch marks of growth, cracks in the clay,

Each line a map of the roads I paved.

Sweat drips slow, salt of the fight,

Underneath the moon, bathed in its light.

The layers of skin, what’s underneath?

The pain, the joy, the love, the grief.

The layers of skin, they tell it all,

Stand tall, even when the layers fall.

No mask, just flesh, no shield, just bone,

Stripped to the essence, I’m skin alone.

Feel the air, feel the sting, let it in,

Life’s written raw, in the layers of skin.