Poem: Badge of Courage

Staring into the mirror-The reflection taunting back
At me. I see the scars left by the vision of the courage I lack.
They smile and sneer, constant reminders of my failure, my fault,
These scars, each one nearly bringing life to an abrupt halt.
Defined I am by these scars-these roads, these words of a story told
By one afraid to reach for the stars, to face the world tall and bold.
Afraid of the light, afraid of life and all its breath.
Thus afraid I embrace the dark and its sister, Death.
Thus weak I stand ashamed before the mirror-The reflection that taunts,
The image revealing, the scars ne'er healing, the likeness that haunts

Fore'er my sleeping dreams, fore'er my days awake.
Ashamed am I of the fear I bear, the fear the scourge of my heart.
Hence these scars stand as a badge, a badge of lies.

I could not face the world apart, I could not suppress the pain in mine heart.
So these scars I make for my wounded pride's sake,
But each morn as the sun rises and I wake,
I see in my eyes, in my mind, in the mirror-mirror reflecting back,
A shadow, a ghost, a wraith of one possessing all that I lack.

I see in my reflection all that I hate and all I abhor,
The mirror-mirror throwing back at me each battle of my personal war.
My war inside fought against only me,
The battles raging like fire for all eternity.
Too afraid I was to face the world and life and fate,
Hence I retreat and become all that I hate.
These scars-scars of my past, scars of my future, scars of my fight,
They run like veins across the skin, always there no matter how dark the night.
In unison they raise their voices in triumph and praise,
For the weakness I have borne all of my days.
Engraved in my flesh for the world to see,
Though faded or no, from these I cannot flee.
Fore'er and a day these scars remain.
To remind me the strength I could not maintain.
A day and fore'er I bear them with me,
To one day look into the mirror-mirror and see that I am free.