Poem 20150321

head and shoulders
knees and toes (knees and toes)

is all well and good
but the parts i am interested in

the eyes
the ears
the lips
the mouth
–inside and out
the nape of the neck
the throat
the elbows
–yes elbows
the breasts, good god
the ribs
the wrist
the bellybutton
that hollow in the small of the back
the curve of the hip
the ass
the swell of the thigh
the inside of the thigh
the knees
–wait the knees are in there–
ok, the back of the knees, then
the ankles
the soles of the feet
and skin
–skin skin skin

i suppose there is a reason why
they are left out of the song
too many verses
that adults couldn’t get through
without tearing off their own clothes