reptile skin

Can a lizard stand on his own two
and face a mirror that shows his face?

highlights the scars and the pain underneath
exposes the faults 
forces a reckoning 
that makes him quake
and grits his teeth
beginning to peel
from the top to the floor 
a sinking shape
transparent through the window of the falling sun
frayed and limp
like two split seams doing yoga with
identical means 
in back arched poses 
kissing the floor
finally
the last scaly remnants 
of a full trembling spin
left to the dust 
left to the wind
left to its own device