Mistaken

You are so mistaken
if you think your beauty
is built on skin and bones.

Don’t get me wrong,
I adore your skin,
every curve of your body,

every soft line of you,
your impish smile.
The picture of you that lives on my desk

is not for show, but
is fuel for my never waning desire and
the things you fret so much about,

a wrinkle, a pound, a gray hair,
the marks of age, wear and tear,
are mere beauty marks,

markers of a life shared,
our passion made flesh,
a constant reminder

of the real beauty and fire
that lives within, and rises to the surface
each time we touch.

About this poem

Society tells us we must be perfect to be loved or to be desired. Boy has society got it wrong.

Trust me on this one.

Tom

PS – the picture was taken at the Sterling Renaissance Faire this past weekend. I have no idea who she is. But her joy in what she was doing made her beautiful. That’s the way it works.