Joy

Its the scars that make you beautiful
Its not the pristine places
but the burns
the bruises
the cuts

Its the fight in you
to get past where you were
to not pick at the wound
rip out the stitches
to actually let yourself heal

In the scars is triumph
is beauty from ashes
is you surviving
and thriving

And as they fade
I know what drove me there
fades too
but I'll always remember
because scars are emotional
spiritual
deeper than the hyper pigmentation that is their evidence
the change you permanently
and if your let them
for the better

When the mirror reflects who I really am
I'm humbled
because despite it all
I'm still here
and I'm whole
and joy
Joy permeates every square inch of my life