Poetry of Love and Sadness

“Thick Skin”

My thick skin keeps me warm.
Thick neck, thick stomach, thick skin.

It keeps me protected from those who pass by
And try to steal my heart,
Or hurt me with a cheap shot.
Those things readily bounce off my skin,
And, buffered and protected, I easily forgive.

But there is some hurt that
Breaks through my thick skin,
Breaks through and digs in deep,
Burns my heart and floods my mind.

I try to keep it locked in,
Hidden under my skin,
But it seeps through the mask
And appears in the bags under my eyes
And the hardness of my face.

I’d like to share my pain with you,
Unload this hurt to stop
The burn in my heart and the flood in my mind,
But your skin is too thin.

My skin can buffer and hide pain,
But yours can offer no protection
From a blow this strong,
So I keep it to myself,
I love you too much.

I don’t get hurt easily.
My thick skin protects me.

But I hurt now.