Steady proof I’ve
Come so far.
After the pain, the suffering, the healing, I
Remain. I endure. I survive. Scarred.
..and whether seen or unseen.
They are here.
Whether visible or hidden
Whether carved on skin or
carved in mind.
They’ve left me changed,
Changed internal,
Changed in life.
The memory of their preceding pain,
Floats in and out of memory, though sustained.
What you see of superficial lacerations,
Burned, and scabbed, peeled and healed
In the center of my painful restoration.
What you see is perfection in
Imperfection.
Beauty in the mess.
A warrior, a survivor,
A reminder of nothing less.
A picture of risen triumph,
Success, survival, and life.
A picture of human reality,
human intensity.
Cut.
Alive.
photo: Mindy Stevens (my beautiful sister); photographer: Chuck Turner
The image is my little sister and the first time she ever saw the scars on her back. She suffered from being mauled by our family dog as a child. This was her survivor shoot, a picture of beauty and fire. It ushered in an entire SCAR healing photo series.
The poem comes from my own heart and the healing of scars unseen.
Authentic Truths 