etched into my skin
are the untold memories
my living, breathing constitution
a testimony, unreliable yet true
my great protector, defender
and unspoken vulnerabilities
open for display
like the initials of my lover and I
carved into a timeless tree
a sacred testament
covered in cocoa butter
soft in places, yet rough here and there
the scars are both warning signs and warrior cries
calling out to the living and the dead

Photo provided by: unsplash-logoBruno Ramos Lara