I stare into the hollows

of his smiling, bony face

and I wonder how he looked

with all his other bits in place.

Was he beautiful or ugly?

Was he fat or was he lean?

Was he just a little weakling?

Was he built like a machine?

Did he have the smooth complexion

that belongs to movie stars?

Was his face a mass of pimples

or of scary-looking scars?

The skeleton says nothing

but I’m judging from his grin

that he’s rather glad he’s free

from all that muscle, flesh and skin.