Ross Jackson: ‘Skins’

Skins

people spend for pictures
inked on their skins
for that angry dragon look
to bear resemblance to an armadillo

the pecunious
wish to disguise that they’re well heeled
place their confidence
in tattoos to do the job

oh, it might be fun
to sport a tatt of Tabriz design
instead of my old wrinkled hide

but my fresh Persian carpet flesh
might be singed
with cigarettes
by douchebags with a burning grudge

better to turn my reversible pelt inside out
to live for ever
as my vanilla self
exquisitely unfashionable

Ross Jackson