some days i wake up and wonder
what kinds of damage
i’ll acquire today
like overly ripe fruit
so easily bruised
other days i muster the courage
to tell myself
i am not damaged
so much as tempered
though i may have had
pieces of myself
taken from me
i am adorned by my scars
those patches of fire long extinguished
for they are proof that i’ve lived
a testament
to my power
to rebuild
on days like these
instead of hiding
under layers of artifice
i wear my scars like jewels
iridescent
defiant
treasure