Layers of Skin

Posted on March 22, 2022 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille #148 - Papered Poems
(posted by whimsygizmo)

"Is my intention today paper thin enough for you yet? Today, I want you to play on paper with the word paper. Reminisce about your old paper route. Play paper-scissors-rock or paper mâché. Wallpaper your words or fold them into a paper airplane. Papery. Papered. Newspaper. You might find some poetic purpse in paper dolls, roses, towels or towns. Get thee to thine paper, and fill that page with your passion, your delight, or your rage. Remember, hyphen fun is welcome, as are coined words and phrases of your own making. Get pulpy. Praise the trees. Then get writing."


I remember kissing
my grandfather’s 
cheek when he
turned 95.   How
papery thin his skin
felt, reminding me
of early office days
when we used onion skin
paper for typing. 
At old age, our nearly
transparent skin is the last
layer of our lives.

https://dversepoets.com/

About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.
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20 Responses to Layers of Skin

  1. Sadje says:
    March 22, 2022 at 5:28 am

    Wonderful last line Sara.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Ingrid says:
    March 22, 2022 at 6:14 am

    What a poignant description – moving!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. ben Alexander says:
    March 22, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    the last
    layer of our lives.

    Wow, Sara… that’s a powerful way of putting it.

    -David

    Like

  4. De Jackson says:
    March 22, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    Gah. “the last layer of our lives” That’s just stunning. And what a beautiful memory. I remember my great-gran’s skin, papery and soft.

    Like

  5. Helen Dehner says:
    March 22, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    Sara, this took my breath away and reminds me of loved ones lost decades ago, their faces, their skin … how it felt when I last kissed their cheeks. Sigh.

    Like

  6. VJ says:
    March 22, 2022 at 11:32 pm

    Such an interesting comparison. Well penned.

    Like

  7. Callsign Ain says:
    March 23, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    Very powerful…

    Like

  8. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) says:
    March 23, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    I love the comparison to the onion skin…

    Like

  9. msjadeli says:
    March 25, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    Lovely quadrille, Sara. That onion skin paper is something I use for tracing paper. I like how your poem is tracing paper memories of your grandfather. What a magical touch about the onion’s last layer.

    Like

Comments are closed.