DorsalVerityVentralDeceit

 

What's up front? Logos and half-smiles,
Clip-on bow ties, frou-frou, and demure eyes,
Pecs and feathered lashes, combovers,
And rising accents of décolleté:
Perky-prowed or shoveled into place,
Tattooed to reward reflexive peeks,
Or with a dangling crucifix to chide.

But the back is blunt. There's honesty
In shoulder blades, bald spots, and wrinkled cloth,
Sweat stains, bra straps, and disobedient hair.
No pretense in shirt labels or dandruff,
Knobby vertebrae or necklace clasps.
Mere truth — precisely where the wearer can't
See it, and where nobody else will look.


TopicPoetry - TopicHumor - 2006-09-07


(correlates: DebutanteDance, SevenManes, Powers of Observation, ...)