Behind Me *SI*

Behind me lie the scars of my past
Always following,
Forever reminding,
Defined and aware.

There’s Braille raised and written
Across my back
Documenting the times I had no other release,
No other option but to bring upon myself
An attack.

They are roads mapping out my journey
From A-B
Telling the story of all the wrong paths I’ve followed,
Of all the things I’ve endured over the years
To set myself free.

As you get older laugh lines
Appear on your face.
Me, I get lines of pain etched across my arms, my back, my thighs...
They are what have kept me here,
Lost in this place.

But if they are on my back
Where no-one can see,
If these scars that ruled my life are hidden,
Why can’t I just
Leave it all behind me?

Behind me lie the scars of my past
Always following,
Forever reminding,
Defined and aware.

Mya A. Edwards