It Is Not The Beautiful Body..... Poem by RIC BASTASA

you have a beautiful body
no doubt about it, but there
is something that you have
to know: in this map of love
and affection, the body of
sand and stone is overshadowed
by the the golden shadow of
the moon, once turning dimmer
than saffron and then more missed
when hidden by the mystery of
the passing clouds.

it is this innocence of the mind
it is this unseen beauty of the soul.
it is that which was never spoken.
it is that which lurks in the honesty
of some kind of underwear, and all
these defeats the braggadocio of the
body, the out-speaking curves,
the softest hands, the polished nails,
the braced teeth, the lotioned skin
the masked face, the trimmed hairs.