Challenging Poetry

in her skin

they say beauty is skin deep,
but as I look at my skin,
I see cells and oils,
wisps of hair and blemishes,
blood and sweat,
and scars. I carry life
on my skin, touches and links
to the past and friends and
memories, ambitions
and dreams. I saw my grandmother,
her mind taken away
by dementia, her skin wrinkled
by laughter and love,
and her beauty radiated.

April 27—Beauty