He wore people
like tattoos
acquired over time
in both public
and private places

beginning with
the rub-on kind
that are cool and
breezy easy
until they rub off

and then the
colors of his crew
stuck deep into his
skin with toxic
overflow that spills
into his veins

His arms were filled
with symbolic power
that reigned on sleeveless
days but sought shelter'
in the blankets of cold
sleepless nights

and on his chest were
memories of loves
gained and lost
revealed only in
naked truthful
moments

some still pristine
others fading
but cherished
unlike the ravaged
scars of those
ripped or torn away

And on his back
were those unseen
and few they were
but fewer still
were those he knew
who still remained

invisible to him
but there where
everyone else
could see