SKIN

SKIN

Is this the same unnoticed skin,
That did once glitteringly shine,
Did often play rampant seductive pantomimes,
Did rouse many eyes to recite Anthologies of impulsive rhymes:
To excite irrational passions,
To ignite swerving emotions,
To ramify riotous revolutions,
To register drastic devolutions,
To kindle rash equine sensations,
To dwindle the sweetest Salvations?

But, why does it now outright fail,
Dropped like a leaf rugged, shrivelled, withered and frail:
As odious and unsolicited as an ugly reptile slough,
As disdainful derisive as a dead, decomposed claw,
To retain its past mesmerizing and alluring magic,
To withstand Nature’s fool-proof logic?

Alas! It now shamefully succumbs to dejection and decadence,
Forced to flee as a timid rodent in quest of an unobtrusive, bushy fence!

Gloddsry:

seductive – alluring for lust or sensual activity

pantomimes – the art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, feelings, etc., by gestures without speech

impulsive – reckless/guided by impulses

rhymes - poems

excite - stimulate

irrational - unreasonable

passion – excitement/strong feeling

ignite - set fire to

swerving – going astray/ leaving the moral path

emotion - feeling

ramify - increase

riotous – uncontrolled/ rebellious

revolution – revolt/ rebellion

register - record

drastic - extreme

degradation – going on the wrong path

kindle – stimulate/ fire up

rash - careless

equine – related to the sexual intensity of horses

sensation – exciting feeling

dwindle – decrease/ decrease

rugged - rough

withered – dried/shrunken

frail - weak

odious -  hateful/foul smelling

reptile - snake

slough – skin of a snake

disdainful – scornful/hateful

decomposed – rotten/ decayed

retain – keep/ maintain

mesmerizing – thrilling/ exciting

withstand - endure

fool-proof – perfect/ infallible

succumbs - gives way/ surrenders

dejection – depression/ misery

decadence – process of falling into an inferior condition or state/decay/deterioration

flee - run away

in quest of - looking for

unobtrusive – not drawing attention/unnoticed/unremarkable

bushy fence – a hiding place, away from the public notice

©Dr. Shankar D Mishra    01.11.2021