Everyone's Naked

(Under Their Clothes)

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I was inspired to write this poem because of something my wife likes to say, “I’m naked under my clothes.” This is, of course, true of everybody, and it got me thinking that nakedness is more a reason for beauty and love than a reason for embarrassment. Our skin hold so many stories, always changing and rearranging, yet keeping scars and other signs of what we’ve become and overcome. Here it is:

Everyone's naked under their clothes
Everyone's naked above their bones
Under their clothes,
Above their bones,
Exposed for all to see.

The clothes project an image
The bones hold up the frame;
The skin reveals the deeper truth
That lies beyond the games
The clothes will fray and disappear
The bones will turn to dust;
The skin preserves the blows of life
And times of injured trust.

The clothes contain a seed of self
The bones cannot be changed;
The skin shifts with identity
With new acts rearranged
The clothes wear out, get discarded
The bones snap and splay out;
The skin sheds with the old patterns
And knows what it's about.

The beauty of the human form
Is there beneath the clothes
The drama of a life reborn
Lies just above the bones.

Everyone's stunning under their clothes
Everyone's stunning above their bones
Under their clothes,
Above their bones,
Drama and beauty joined.

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