Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The Skin's Autobiography


Linking with Beautiful Freaks Fest 2 Hosted by the lovely Magaly, Emma, and Rommy
Come join us!

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ~Alan Alda




I have learned to live here in this imperfect place

of gravel roads and dry spells

the curves of each continent 

have shifted and grown

in a sea of uncertainty

and they
serve as a reminder
that time etches away and in turn also gives back
winds of many seasons have blown through
leaving only silken curtains of grey
and eyes that view the world
 with a blurry yet perceptive focus
but let me be clear
I am comfortable here
 naked or in armor
it is all i have known and the practice 
of perseverance in shielding and truly letting go
have given me calluses in all the right places
I am tat-tooed in grace and scarred with lesson's travels
that tell stories my lips never will.


©Carrie Van Horn 2019

7 comments:

  1. "naked or in armor"

    How I love this line and its implications... the thought that to be safe, all we need is to really know ourselves... exposed.

    Yum!

    Thanks so much for adding your words to the BFF2.

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  2. I love the way you worked with the extended metaphor in this piece. The comfort of not just appreciating, but loving your body, throughout all its seasons comes through so strongly.

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  3. Beautiful poem! I love your words and the reference to your changing body, as well as "tattooed in grace and scarred with lesson's travels that tell stories my lips never will." It's perfect!

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  4. Beautiful! I especially love:

    "I am tat-tooed in grace and scarred with lesson's travels
    that tell stories my lips never will."

    You've got me thinking about the secrets our scars hold and whether we choose to reveal them or not.

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  6. Oh wow, yes our bodies tell a story

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