Proof
In Your Bones, Poem 12
“…if you don’t have any visible scars you may just have to write poetry and hope someone reads it with an eye for the beauty of how you tried to weave words in and out into an SOS…”
The inspiration for this poem…
When you realize you have a longing for scars it’s time to get some help. This realization came many years after the fact for me through therapy and it was not something I recognized until I wrote this poem. It was written in response to the reaction of a family member who was leery of my sharing this first collection of raw poetry. I do understand why it is hard to fathom why anyone would want to air these kinds of family secrets unless you are living with it and it becomes a way out, your S.O.S. Sharing your story is one of the few ways to let others bear witness to what you experienced so they can offer their support. You also become an audience for yourself to tell your story out loud, especially when the scars are not visible. It was my attempt to prove how worthwhile it can be to share these burdens, and how poetry was the perfect place to hold them.
Writing/Meditation Prompts:
Do you carry any scars that have a story to tell? Or do you carry some that can’t be seen, but still have a story?
Have you left scars in places that you need to apologize or make amends for?
How does your body reflect the burdens that it’s carried? Or reflect the things you’ve let go of? Are you still limping over something you no longer need to?
How do you avoid gaining new scars or inflicting them on others?
Write a ‘scar story’ that you need to share, maybe just with yourself.