Poetry

Skin

Written by Jacob Ibrag

‘It’ll be better. I’ll try harder, I swear I can change.’

 After years of acting, your mask slipped off. A few drinks

in and the person in front of me transformed into a different

being. Wish  I could say you looked familiar, wish I could

pretend nothing had happened. Yet it kept building, tension

and then aggression. People don’t change, they simply reject their

true core and dig it deep within their bones. In the beginning,

I couldn’t see the truth. How could I? We were characters in

an epic story, converging our naked souls underneath a river

while the universe smiled back and stared. Then I started to

notice your character slowly fade away, like someone else was

trying to break free from the skin you cuffed them within. With

this realization, anger made a home in our relationship. You

wouldn’t say anything, but I knew you started to hate me. Not

because of anything I said, but what I represented. My eyes nothing

more to you than a reminder of the person you sacrificed your true

self for. So please, don’t do anything for me. I want you to live free

within your skin and if what we become after won’t make any

sense, it’ll be okay. It will still be better than pretend.

No more lies, no more delusion.


Photographer Unknown

18 comments on “Skin

  1. teresaag's avatar

    That was really touching… So many people lose themselves in relationships afraid they won’t be accepted for who they are.

    Liked by 2 people

    • eyes + words's avatar
      Eyes + Words

      Thanks Teresa 🙂 Unfortunately, it happens to the best of us. We get lost in love and somewhere down the line, our true identities get discarded.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. bluebutterflyeffect's avatar
    Colors of Sky

    Omg . always i am dying for ur words….

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Claudia Hanna's avatar

    You impress me every time you write, thank you 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. george agak's avatar

    you cant have the mask on forever. trust me the winds shall pull it off and you’re true self will be known.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Vee's avatar
    vidishakaushik

    This is truthfully exquisite. Absolutely loved reading it.
    Here’s hoping you’ll visit my blog too at https://thewhimsicalandwanderingsoul.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person

  6. judybarton's avatar

    Wow!

    Reading “skin” could not avoid a lot of interest for me, as you perhaps can imagine (theskinoftheangels, do you remember?).

    The photo is beatiful, so intense and emotional … the text … I liked a lot the text.

    People don’t change, they simply reject their
    true core and dig it deep within their bones

    May I? I like a lot how you use these words… and the bones … but I know it is not true… not always true, becaus I saw many people changing and I hope to be changed myself, too. This matter is in my opinion strongly connected to the end of your text:

    My eyes nothing
    more to you than a reminder of the person you sacrificed your true
    self for. So please, don’t do anything for me. I want you to live free
    within your skin and if what we become after won’t make any
    sense, it’ll be okay. It will still be better than pretend.
    No more lies, no more delusion.

    To love is quite to change, because to love somebody I must exit from my skin, not simly give him my skin with my body into. I changed when I felt in love, not when I decided to change. I know it is wrong to pretend the changing in the other people, but I’m happy when in his eyes or in his heart (his core as you say) I can see even the slightest change.
    Excuse me for all these silly words … I am talking to myself … your words made me to think about myself…
    Thank you for that

    Liked by 1 person

  7. tmezpoetry's avatar
    tmezpoetry

    Indeed a heartfelt poem~

    Liked by 1 person

  8. El Coleccionista Hipnótico's avatar

    Wonderful poem to which many of us can easily relat. The dying of love, the loving care replaced by hate and anger. And… what a picture! A fascinating photo, whish I knew who was the photographer.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. apoorvachouhan's avatar

    This is abt true love…isn’t it..?? Only true love has the power to set u free..☺

    Liked by 1 person

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