EUCALYPTUS ENVY
by Sherry S.

A eucalyptus
sheds its bark
the way we flakers
strip off skin.
It's no wonder
I feel akin
to this tree.

Had I its slender leaves,
I'd place them over me,
maybe quite gracefully
instead of hiding limbs
with slacks and sleeves.

If what grew under
my outer layer
were not inflamed
but palely fairer,
the way the eucalyptus is
when its thick skin disengages,
I'd flash a shin
now and then.