Skin - A Poem
Submitted by Jim Owen, MAT, retired EAP Counselor (Served several hospitals)
After a visit to
my nurse practioner
I find myself wondering,
am I my skin, or
am I my brain?
it is
my
skin that people recognize, it is my
skin that actually touches the world,
it is my skin I feel first thing
in the morning and the
last thing I feel at night
soft, pliable, sensitive,
responsive to love,
but also tough enough -
my skin is
a defensive barrier
capable of healing
from all sorts of abuse
accidental or intentional
if given a chance,
it is my skin that reveals first that I am sick or hurt
it is my skin that first shows my age, it is my skin that shares
how I am feeling even when my brain doesn’t have a clue or my mouth
can’t bring itself to say - today, not for the first time, one of moles
needed a biopsy - my brain grudgingly concedes, at least for now…..
I am my skin.
Jim Owen 11/16