Skin and Bones

[hiddenlyrics10]

Skin and Bones, together to make a shell
What makes a man, become more than a man?

Red and white blood fills the skin
Moving and flowing through every pore
Unknown where it will stop or begin
But how does it make a man live to be more?

Nerves and veins spread in between bones
Making muscles twitch and grow
Pain and sensation the only thing it condones
But with knowledge when does the body ever begin to know?

Heart beats every second of the day
Pushing blood to the bones and the brain
Life depends on the heart people say
But do only heartbeats bring the life they strive to gain?

Ivory stuck together in all sizes and shape
Held in place firmly by invisible glue
Seeming so effortless to obtain a bruise or scrape
But can the strength of a body really be so easy to misconstrue?

Skin is the final pencil stroke on the human drawing
Covering everything with a pure and organized image
Targeted first when the teeth of hatred start gnawing
But can outrage solve the hunger if all are given equal privilege?

Skin and Bones, coming together to make a shell
What makes a body, become more than a man?

[TripleP]

An intriguing perspective to an age-old question - are we more than this corporeal body? I love how you answer without really answering, allowing the reader to begin, or continue, the journey on his/her own.

[Philip16]

Possibly Leonardo da Vinci was asking the same question. He seemed fascinated by the form/function of the human being. His drawings are so detailed, tracing every subtle muscle shadow or bony prominence. And the layers of miracle upon miracle that result in the interaction of multiple systems that allow us to "live and move and have our being". Your words remind me of the psalmist's, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And yet there is the question, "What makes a body, become more than a man?" There, TripleP, I think you have hit on the spark that has fueled the entire realm of philosophy and theology. There is bound to be frustration in this endeavor since we cannot have perfect awareness of ourselves, but surely there can be some joy in the journey. I think your poem is wonderfully written.

[IronHeart]

A well constructed argument in poetic form, I especially love poems like these. You highlight the essence of what makes us human by showing all the ways in which our humanity is not what we are. Very well done!!

[BarryC]

this really is superb -well done