He plastered cracks

with thin veneer,

deflected scrutiny

with hollow jokes

.

to laugh the scars

away; but meeting

Love has peeled his

bark’s resources,

.

stripped bare his

polyurethane.

Terror and pleasure

co-mingle in this

.

tango, the steps

of which elude his

balance;  baring

all, he stands naked

.

and shivering, but

for the first time,

cracks are letting

the Light of life in…