Underneath the skin

Every time you walk close to me
There’s a rushing sound in my ears
My heart starts to thud in my throat
And my limbs go languid so they can
Wrap around you to bring you closer.

As soon as chest meets chest
The harsh pants mingle want and
Tingles all over my body where I
No longer belong to myself and you
No longer belong to yourself.

Your arms around me while holding me up
Also make me feel like you won’t ever let go
Your moist mouth as it closes over mine
Feels like its whispering prayers
A worship and a call to arms as my eyes flutter close.

The thumping of the heartbeats
Is harsh and violent
As is the frenzied mouths and hands
Roaming, memorizing, mapping,
Leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

And in that harshness
Are whispered words
Loving, needing, lusting, wanting
Words that at once quicken and then soothe
The crest and trough an agonizing sweetness.

A solid wall or maybe it’s a bed
The only thing keeping us upright
And tethered to this corporeal world
As hands travel underneath the skin
To unravel and to remake.

The aftermath leaves a glorious glow
A feeling of transcendence like
I have touched the calmness of the moonlight
And suffered the harsh rays of the sun
A lifetime of summers and winters lived and lost.

You move first, bringing me up
Out of the haze and into the now
We whisper words that are filled with a meaning
No word can hold but in the gathering twilight
They convey the story they are meant to.

As our foreheads touch
Nothing more needs to be said
Or felt or touched, only that
Underneath this skin, if you look, if I look
You will find me and I will find you.


Written as part of AtoZ. For more, check the Theme Reveal 2020 – 26 Letters of Love.

25 responses to “Underneath the skin”

  1. Ashvini Naik Avatar
    Ashvini Naik

    Such a heart-warming & seamless play of words, Suchita!

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    1. Thank you thank you πŸ™‚

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  2. That was well written and reminded me of this song by Shakira – Underneath your clothes
    There’s an endless story
    There’s the man I chose
    There’s my territory

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    1. I was humming the song when I wrote it πŸ™‚

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  3. Oh feels like falling in love! This was indeed magical…you are gifted!!

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    1. You are very kind. Thanks much Ninu!

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  4. The joining of two souls and bodies can be wonderful and you have beautifully described it.

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    1. Thanks Shweta πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  5. While ‘making love’ with words is an art, it’s hard to make readers ‘feel’ both both protagonists unless it’s from the heart.

    Lovely piece of writing

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    1. That’s a very poetic way of putting it. Thanks Christopher!

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  6. I wish someone wrote me such beautiful love letters. So lyrical, so sombre, so touching.

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    1. Awe thanks Balaka!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Hard to keep a poem like this from slipping out of your hands but you’ve done a splendid job!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hadn’t thought of it that way – thank you Sonia!

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Anagha Yatin Avatar
    Anagha Yatin

    A passionate and captivating narration of two becoming one and losing the identity in the process only to realize that its two bodies with one soul!

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    1. That is a beautiful way of looking at it. Thank you Anagha πŸ™‚

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  9. You always leave me speechless Suchita. Maybe I’m exaggerating but this is above love, this is faith. Amazing Suchita. Simply love your poetry.
    — rightpurchasing.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hope you’re not exaggerating! And thank you so much πŸ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Call it exaggeration Suchita but that’s how your poetry makes me feel.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Jyoti Jha Avatar
    Jyoti Jha

    How wonderfully expressed. Loved the seamless flow of words.

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    1. Glad you liked them Jyoti.

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  11. The love in your lines is palpable.

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    1. Thanks much πŸ™‚

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  12. Wow-what a poem, wonderfully expressive and flowing.

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    1. Thanks Pragun πŸ™‚

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