This is how I live now

There is a roadmap to my life
on my skin
right here for all to see
It may not be pretty
but it is mine.

They are my scars
the things that have hurt me
over a lifetime
of pain
and hurts
and disappointments

Some are small scars
scarcely even noticeable
unless you look really closely
these scars don't get in the way
of living day to day
they just exist
a part of my story

Other scars are jagged
and ugly
and impossible to hide
I used to try to cover them
and was ashamed of them
but now I realize
that they are battlescars
and proof that wounds do heal

I used to feel like a hideous creature
like a beast
deformed by all of my scars
but now I feel like a survivor
proud and strong and alive

And the strength did not come overnight
and it did not come all at once
but it leaked in slowly
as the scars slowly healed
as I peeled away the scabs and poured
antiseptic into them
they burned at first
but it cleaned out all of the infection
and brought healing
and hope
and strength
and even joy.

These are my scars
the roadmap to my life
and this is how I live now-