Badges of Honor

Scars track my journey

scabs and wounds crater struggle

raw pockmarks of life

disfigured forever

wounds from my blood

bandaged by damage

trampled by hordes

blotches tarnished and twisted

mangling of soul

targeted for hurt

by swift arrows of past

but I beg for healing

it’s long overdue

my scars have become

proud badges of honor

for I have survived

my blisters of pain.