Blanketing

a giant butterfly tattoo one of a flapping hummingbird or just a tiny heart discreetly chiseled into the hindfoot right above the heel Names of famous people idols or celebrities on display in fading green ink There's a zipper that on closer inspection is blurring a scar into a biker jacket I imagine someone some Easy Rider maybe half a century ago designed Now I hear the loud ones the declarations Don't judge! Only God judges! You don't own me! Next come the brash the bold the ones that signal individuality The skulls the daggers the knives the flames the flaming skulls... that may help one get past the entrance to the social club Fading out are the life-size bones the exoskeletons that let me see inside out But back are the exotic symbols in exotic languages that you were told are meant to say peace to all things on earth but really shriek The head is as empty as the pockets But where's Mom? And the lonely teardrop below the bottom left eyelash is nowhere to be found For those times when perfectly sculpted arms and legs feel neglected broken or just simply naked