Hardshell

i collected all the segments
that i thought made asturdy spine
bloated up to fit so well
so much that it sticks outside
all the excess stuffed in my pockets
neatly to show around
thought I could pull it out
whenever i got pulled down

i had to laugh i thought i fell back in nothing
broke my fall with a padding of nails
i did a double take to see what was crackling
glanced around at the pieces of skin

thought i had the perfect suit
made from skin thatwas tougher and better
impatient to patch up holes or the rips
that were sewn togeather
from a distance it came across smooth
and some how kind of inviting
but never close enough to peel
the layers were always tightening