Broken

Broken

My past is not smooth
it is filled with
rough patches
rocky passages
broken bushes
and fractured trees

Thorns stick out along the channels of my path
protruding more than they should
scratching me with wounds to my soul
as I traipse past the mangled memories in my mind

My brain is scarred with the battles of life
a casualty in a war I did not want to be in

There are those who want to embrace the scars
they don’t see the damage
they don’t see the lacerations of trauma
they don’t see the broken life

They see beauty
they see an otherwise hidden authenticity
they see a wisdom somewhere below
they see the knowledge and veracity that comes from a broken life
and I need to let them in