Skin (2) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

My body's biggest organ, skin,
It's what I nearly jumped out off
When that car backfired last June
It's waterproof, my mortal suit
A holdall for bones and blood

When I'm embarrassed, it blushes
When I run too fast it flushes
This extraordinary hide
Keeping my innards inside

A baby's skin is a peach
A grandparent's skin is a prune
Every wrinkle, stamped like a brand
Veins rise in my shrunken hand

When pregnant, it swelled like a gourd
Then collapsed like a cows' dewlap
Silvery shiny stretch marks
Like mother of pearl streaks
Dropped like an empty flap

Nobody gets under mine
By my teeth I swear it
And anyhow
I'm far too old to bear it