Desecration Verses Ornamentation Poem by Byron Headrick

She says my body
Has been desecrated
By the ink that covers
My skin – the names of
My children and symbols
Of where I’ve been.

Ornamentation verses desecration
The differences between
Her and I
Tend to worry more about
My soul within than the
Vessel outside.

While here marks grow
Deeper and deeper
Year after year
Eating away
Her glow.

Desecration verses ornamentation
My ink will not survive
The day that I die
But simply fade away
Into dust
Leaving my soul
To its path

Unaffected

Will she be able to say the same?