Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Under My Skin



As we careen ourselves against the billiard bumpers of our lives, spinning our way toward stasis and burial, our skin seems to collect things- unwittingly and without forethought- the way that a woolen sweater collects things when walking through a thorny woods.

The expression “under my skin” vaguely describes what I am referring to, and the notion itself probably feels differently for everybody and anybody.

The child, the dog, the lover, the friendly neighbor and the sister and the brother, the mother and the father...

Maybe a school companion? Maybe an aunt or a mentor or a teacher...

When someone gets under my skin, I have to confess, it becomes life-long. My skin holds them to me. They become a part of me.

They are more like an old sporting wound than a memory to me.

I often wonder if they come with me when I die?

If death is marked by the memory of one's own life, does death also mark those whose lives have crept beneath the skin?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully said, Scott. I do believe that we also give a piece of ourselves to those whose lives we touch so they carry us with them as well. All of those pieces live in our soul and we take them everywhere, even into death because the memories have made us who we are.

Anonymous said...

That was me, Scott........Shirley

Jeannie said...

Who knows - perhaps science will one day discover that we physically incorporate little bits of DNA from every person we touch, literally making them a part of us. The more often and intimate the contact, the more they get under our skin. Interesting thoughts.

Cheesy said...

I believe we all imprint a little of ourselves on each person's life we touch. We become part of their souls and heart. Lovely post my friend....
But~~~

Are you trying to tell us you got knocked up on your little vacation?? :o)

kario said...

Love the photo! I can remember exactly what that felt like! And having been pregnant, I can say that the physical sensation of having someone "under your skin" is amazing and not easily (if ever) forgotten. I'm certain the psychic sensations are the same.

fuzzbert_1999@yahoo.com said...

If only it were that easy to get them all back!

meno said...

When someone gets "under my skin" my skin crawls. Okay, that's not what i meant to say. What i meant to say, is that i try to figure out what button in me got pushed by the under-skinner.

CS said...

I know exactly what you mena. I think of it as the person embedding themselves in my heart, there forever even when they are physically gone.

amusing said...

so, different from "the heebie-jeebies" then?

travistee said...

I'm the same way, Scott. It becomes very interesting if you talk to psychics and they reference this person from your last life, etc. etc.
I've been told my daughter used to be my mother....