Scars I Don’t Show

I keep the lamps on

Sleep in my shoes

Dreams feel sharper

Than anything true

Laugh at the party

Hands in my sleeves

Every small silence

Pulls out my teeth

These are the scars I don’t show

Where every heartbeat still says “don’t”

Fear at the door like it knows my name

Tracing its fingers through old

Old pain

I’m not okay

But I’m here

With every crack made crystal clear

If you look close through the ache and the strain

You’ll see my fear

Wearing my face

I hate the mirrors

They stare right back

Counting the stories

I try to redact

Smile in the daytime

Shake in the dark

Hide all the hurting

In throwaway laughs

These are the scars I don’t show

Where every heartbeat still says “don’t”

Fear at the door like it knows my name

Tracing its fingers through old

Old pain

I’m not okay

But I’m here

With every crack made crystal clear

If you look close through the ache and the strain

You’ll see my fear

Wearing my face

How do you heal what you won’t admit?

How do you breathe when the room won’t quit?

Tell me it’s safe just to say “I’m not fine” (not fine)

Stay while my ghosts learn your quiet reply

These are the scars I now show

Every heartbeat whispering “grow”

Fear at the door

But it’s losing its claim

Letting new light touch the deepest pain

I’m not okay

But I’m real

Every fracture starting to heal

If you look close through the ache and the strain

You’ll see my fear

Finally fading from my face