Beneath the Skin

Poetry about scars you can't see

Image: Davi Moreira via Unsplash

I recently picked up a copy of

Nocturnal Narrator

’s book of prompts, and one of them immediately caught my eye: Describe a scar that isn’t physical.

Click the button below to purchase your own copy of the book, and as always, please enjoy this new poem…

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I carry scars you cannot see.
Invisible to you, but real to me.
Born from singular moments in time.
Looping in my head like a bad rhyme.

I hoped these scars would eventually heal,
but time has not made them any less real.
My soul bears the cracks they left behind.
Memory and pain, forever intertwined.

I wish I could have seen what lies ahead.
My past self wouldn’t be buried and dead.
But perhaps that is for the best, you see,
Despite my scars, I prefer this version of me.

So, go ahead and try to knock me down.
Hold my head underwater, see if I drown.
I’ll get back up again and take another breath,
You’re just an obstacle, you won’t be my death.

These scars beneath my skin tell a story,
of a soul that has been mined like a quarry.
I cannot control the pain that seeks me out,
but it will not defeat me, of that I have no doubt.

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading, like pairing a glass of wine with dinner.