The Jagged Edges

Natural things are rarely smooth or flawless as they appear on the surface Smooth fur on skin and curve on wing are rough and jagged underneath Push back against the grain shows true texture within reveals bristling hairs and quill barbs of feathers It's the grit within that shapes us A pearl is smooth but inside is a seed of grit We need the bumps knurls and gnarls to grip and hold Slick things slip through silky wet and wanton fingers Most natural things are rough at birth Stones and gold nuggets are fractured rough at source They're smoothed by wear and tear of sand rubbing in streams Babies are smooth at birth but age roughens them Humans grind away all day at nature's roughness seeking perfection in shiny smooth and faultless Blissfully they're unaware that it's the faults flaws texture and roughness within that glistens shiny the pearl It's the bumps and gnarls outside that knurls the grip