Richer Than Themselves

One way to see is by the sum
Of unselfconscious behaviors,
Networks of internet searches,

The overwhelming assumption
Being that, in not being framed,
Here lies the unvarnished person,

The sum of all private actions.
Be cautious when falling for this.
It may be true everyone lies

And true the faces people show
Aren’t like the faces people hide.
But every view remains partial,

Skewed by the views of the viewers.
Medical imaging can find
Blood clots, healed fractures, and tumors

A body swimming at the beach
In bright sunshine and clear water
Would never display to the world,

But the internal injuries,
Hidden wounds, and gathering doom
Aren’t all of the body even,

Not nearly the whole of the life.
At night, the swimmer might search webs
Of information on symptoms,

In between shopping for swimsuits,
But the body and the person
In the waves were more than someone.