Talking Scars

If my scars could talk

What would they say to you

Not so much about where I've been

More of what I have been through

Would they tell of tower blocks

And of voices raised

Would they tell of wounds and bruises

Some lines can't be erased

Would they tell of addiction

And would they tell of lines and veins

Would they tell of rehab 

As someone nice explains

And would they tell of victories

And tell of little wins

And would they tell of staying clean

And forgiveness for past sins

Would they speak of alcohol

And of a closing bell

Whiskey on a thousand nights

And a million stories to tell

Would they tell of tired eyes

Of faces etched in glass

The picking up of the tab

And waiting for this to pass

Would they speak of a soldier

Who stands ready in these times

Not to fight with guns and bullets

But with words and lines

Would they tell of the on going battle

And of how diligently he trains

And how words can bring down strongholds

And would they speak of ink in veins

Would they tell of a poet 

And of a person who sees

The anger and pain around us

In varying degrees 

Would they tell of all the searching 

In the middle of the night

The scratching of pen on paper

In the hope of getting it right

If my scars could speak to you 

This is what they would say 

Each line a road I've walked 

A map to point the way 

And some of these scars have bound me

While others have set me free

But the scars I have come with me

As a visual history