pasty white is the new tan

Poetry by Rob Breeding, Jul 2, 2023.

  1. Rob Breeding

    Rob Breeding New Member

    pasty white is the new tan

    my skin has lost the ability
    to produce melanin
    & i wear colorful clothing
    so the emt’s can find me
    when it’s time to resuscitate.

    sometimes
    i strip in front of cliffs
    at nude yoga retreats in dover
    & i am lost in sunshine,
    that if it weren’t for hair
    on my chest & nether
    i’d have no discernible hues at all.

    but even sometimes
    rising from the sea
    i become brushstrokes,
    a feathered demigod of little substance
    in shades of white & shadow,
    an impression of desire

    & i am grateful
    for the artist’s eye
    my partner seems to have.
    he sees the presence of all color
    in the light reflected from my body
    & he assures me that tan
    was never all it was said to be.


    ~~~
     
  2. Mike Casetta

    Mike Casetta Active Member

    I really like the vulnerability juxtaposed with the proud acceptance of self & gratiture for your partner, Rob. The cliffs of dover really help to set a scene!

    I'd remove the "but even" before the second "sometimes" - maybe replace with "& ".