Relax

Each person who has touched me
Has left a mark
Indelible
On my psyche,
my soul,
my mind,
my body
By choice or by force
Irreversible

Any attempt at removal would leave scars
Scars that exist upon scars
Bruises shaped over bruises.

A body does not move backward
It is not locked in place

A mind creates pathways
Connections that later cannot be disconnected
Only revised

Once healed, scars inflict less pain
Sometimes none at all
Some scars invoke pleasant memories
And some unpleasant
What's done cannot be undone
That is as it should be

We inch closer each day toward new wounds,
New scars,
New memories
New pleasures and new pain
The old are not forgotten but diluted
Extinguishing the flame

I am glad for this
I welcome the freshness
Of life not yet lived
Future promises fulfilled and broken
I do not hesitate to step forward
I rarely look back
What would I see there but damages done
To my body,
My flesh,
My soul

Mind over matter.
Never mind.
Only ask
How have I fulfilled my fate?
Have I created destiny?
And when I sleep
I dream
And there is nothing can take that from me

Would I choose to do things differently?
Yes
Do I regret my actions or the actions others inflicted on me?
Yes
Would I change them if I could?
Yes
Can I change?
Yes

I can change.

Don't ask too many questions
Only ask what drives me forward
Through each moment of clarity
In the present.

Relax.