feckless & freckled
the spots on my skin
will not go away
no matter how much I try
rubbing them into nothingness
they are the byproduct
of sea & salt & yellow sun
having multiplied over the years
born without a blemish
they represent the accumulation
of my flaws
a growing reminder
of what I chose
not to be
july two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
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