"Scars" by Robert Brown Imperfections Those discolored lines of flesh Jagged and torn Evidence of something gone wrong Or of a battle survived Though not unscathed Some say they are a badge of honor A measure of toughness A record of trials that can Never be forgotten But what about the other scars? The ones that run so deep That they are hidden from everyone But the one who bears them? The mind is a wondrous thing It allows us to see the world As we want it to be As we can make it to be To work through a problem To find the solution to life's mysteries Or just what to have for dinner Logic unparalleled But what happens when it is scarred By some trauma that is just too Horrible to recount so it gets Buried deep inside Hoping to never remember it And yet it remains Subconsciously influencing Every action Every interpretation Waiting to reopen At the worst possible time Will sanity be the price to pay? The soul is ephemeral Wisps of ethereal substance That can never be Quantified objectively Yet is so important Because it is the core of our humanity What gives us the ability to believe In the unbelievable To have faith In what we may never see But what happens when it is scarred When belief and faith too often go Unrecognized or unacknowledged Every small damage Every moment of doubt Etched upon its very essence Will eternity be the price to pay? The heart is a machine The only part of your body That never rests Ceaselessly pumping To keep you alive Even the emotional heart Is tireless Seeking out those with whom A connection can be made Strengthening ties to the People around you And theirs to you An interweaving web So far reaching as to be Beyond scope But what happens when it is scarred By those to whom it has reached out Callous indifference Or unintentional denial Both leave damage That makes it harder to reach out Shying away from being hurt And dying inside Until only a shell remains Will happiness be the price to pay? Mind, soul, and heart They all bear scars Worse than anything the body May sustain So why are they so often Overlooked Or shoved away To be forgotten? We all bear these scars To varying degrees And we all cannot Bear them alone Perhaps one day They too will be badges of honor Instead of shame But that day will only come When we all make the effort To heal within each other What we are afraid of In ourselves