The Invisible Scars

A poem I was too afraid to share.

The original image I generated for this poem, using DALLE·3.

I wrote this poem and created this image almost two years ago,. I was too afraid to share it widely then, but re-reading it recently, I realized the words and the feeling are still true. Perhaps they will feel true to you, too.

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We don’t like our bodies, so we put on clothes that cover up what we don’t like.

We don’t like our faces, so we put on makeup to cover up what we don’t like.

We don’t like our grey hair, so we color it to cover up what we don’t like.

We don’t like our jobs, but we put up with them because we need a paycheck.

We don’t like some people in our lives, but we put up with them because we don’t want to feel lonely.

We don’t like to talk about our struggles, because we don’t want to seem weak.

We don’t like to argue and fight and say what’s truly in our hearts, because we don’t want to seem unhinged.

We keep collecting invisible scars, burying them deep beneath the surface into our souls. They may be well hidden, but the actions they provoke, the choices they influence, and their overall effect are impossible to cover up.

Our scars do not define who we are. The courage with which we show up every day, the compassion we show and the connections we make, our resilience and strength do.

💚 Thank you for reading! 💚