Integumentary Documentary

Formed in the womb of another,

from cells split by two.

My skin was that of my mother,

and from there I grew.

My ears perked and learning,

yearning for truth.

Taking in and absorbing,

all through my youth.

Beliefs of those who surrounded me,

coming into view,

it wasn't until I was drowning,

that I reached for something new.

Shedding the past that had shaped me,

I needed something true.

My reflection staring blankly,

"You know this isn't you."

My face resembled only my past.

If this was all I was,

I knew my life would not last.

I pulled layer by layer,

until all that was left was raw.

Revealing all the underneath,

the part I never saw.

A new face that elicited conflict,

when brought into the light,

but a face that I wore with confidence,

eyes with clear sight.

Courage triumphed comfort,

in a thirty-year fight.

Now I wear what fits,

and it is skintight.

Although outgrown and old now,

the layer that came before,

still holds a place in my life,

that I can't ignore.

I will hold onto who I am,

and who I was back then.

It took each layer to help me,

emerge from within.