scars tell stories

how the ones on my right knee
say that i was a fun loving kid who skipped down a gravel hill
how my brother carried me back to my parents
how i felt proud about my scar and could tell all the kids on the playground how i got it

how the one on my right shin
shows that i love tromping through blackberry bushes
at camp with friends trying to find the biggest ones
it makes me relive the memory of being there with them

how the one on my left arm
shows that i was a stupid kid
and that i turned up the speed on that treadmill too much
and fell and got stuck with it burning my back and cutting into my arm

how the ones on my left wrist
show that i am fighting a war with myself
everyday
that i am trying to feel something besides nothing
that i want to be in control

scars tell stories
each one is a chapter in my life
that i am going to remember forever
some dark
some light
but they’re mine