You Gotta Have Skin! Poem by Frank Ian Bowen

What curious stuff, these cells called skin
that keep your bones and muscles in.
It’s soft to touch on you and me
but shark skin’s rough, as you may see.
Skin’s colour too is var – I – ed,
some black, some brown, some white, e’en red
from being fried in UV light,
like lobster cooked – cor! What a sight!
‘Tis said our skin’s renewed a lot,
in 7 years new skin you’ve got.
Incredible! That every mark and wrinkle there
is put right back, and do we care?
Oh yes indeed! ‘least ladies do,
that’s why they apply all sorts of goo
upon the layers of skin round face.
They spread a thick foundation base
dust it, brush it, smooth it out,
then look in mirror, it’s changed nowt!
The more determined of our race
will to a doctor take their face.
‘Please sort out wrinkles and crow’s feet’
“I’ll do it ma’am if fee you’ll meet”
and then the surgeon makes his cut
through the skin, pulls back, ties up.
The outcome now looks like string bag,
with skin pulled tight. But nothing sags!
Skin is such special stuff.
When its damaged, mends just enough
to seal the cut or hole that’s there,
forming scab to keep out air.
And does skin scuff or wear right through?
Rarely, though even then, it grows anew.
And what about your inside bits?
They’re all held in ‘cos skin just fits
around the space they fill.
It’s such elastic stuff it will
expand around a bulging tum,
and even cover cheeky bums!
Yet here’s the really marvellous thing -
your skin just knows when you are thin!
It shrinks right back to correct size;
no flaps or folds, no need for lies
about the weight you’ve lost this week,
‘cos friends will see the size you seek!
And what of this? When soaking deep
in fluids hot or cold, skin keeps
your outside wet and inside dry,
yet leaks at times or you might fry
through being much too hot at times
Then skin goes red to give a sign.
How does skin work out its colour?
When renewed it’s never other.
How’s it know that soles of feet
are different hue when foot it meets?
So when all else is said and done
This rhyme I wrote was just for fun!