Scars

Scars


I feel the scars, like ropes of flesh that wrap me tight
to distant memories that pull me from the light.
Hands trace patterns carved in flesh; runes that seem unreal.
Yet, there remain wounds unseen that will never heal.

Transfixed by images appearing in my mind,
scabs of time are ruptured; no longer am I blind.
Buried horrors of the past come forth to reveal
hidden wounds that went unseen and will never heal.

Ghost-like feelings lash my skin; flesh falls from the bone.
My screams of pain go unheard. I am all alone
cruelly chained within my mind that cannot conceal
wounds, once hidden and unseen, that will never heal.

Crimson tears fill my eyes; I taste the rising bile.
Strangled by my memories, I can’t breathe for a while.
Stripped of all pretenses, I can’t hide or deny
truth that lies beneath the balm of the years gone by.

How do you move forward when anchored to the past?
Is there a place of solace? How do you outlast
the reoccurring nightmare? How do you defy
truth that lies beneath the balm of the years gone by.

Tomorrow reaches out with tendrils filled with hope;
a sweet elixir’s promise of a way to cope
with proffered forgetfulness. The promises belie
truth that lies beneath the balm of the years gone by.

These welts in flesh conceal the pain that lies beneath,
standing silent vigil to acts covered by time’s sheath.
Distance holds a gentle brush, painting all surreal.
Yet, there remain wounds unseen that will never heal.

Morpheus has come at last with his soothing touch
removing from my hands these memories I clutch.
Free from the weight of darkness, I can once more fly
above the truth that’s concealed by the years gone by.

An entry for the January Round of "Invalid Item" 
Line Count: 32
Form: The La'ritmo consists of 8 4-line stanzas. Each line MUST contain 12 syllables. Rhyme scheme is as follows: aabb ccbB ddbB eeff ggfF hhfF iibB jjfF The repetition of 4th line in each stanza can either be an exact repetitive line, or a variation with the exact same end-rhyme word.