We practice
some body contortions
and some simple positions
so our scars press
against each other
with the understanding
those pale lines
represent us
at our most open,
raw and vulnerable.
Taking turns
our tongues
tell our scars’ stories
even if the telling
drops our words
into whispers.
With our bare fingers,
we practice
learning this odd
raised-skin Braille
so we may decipher
the words that never
find their way
to our tongues
and so, by chance,
our fingers may recognize
and translate the pain
that never broke skin.
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 