some scars lie under the skin
unseen by others
thick bands that wrap themselves
around my insides

sometimes they remain dormant
as days pass
organs continue to function
breath flows
regardless of their 
constricting presence

but sometimes 
a sudden memory
causes them to stretch taut and pull
a painful reminder of the past
when the wound broke me open
and bled

with time the holes within me
stitched and closed themselves
but the scars formed 
and they stay

am I truly healed
with scars
or do they serve the purpose
of reminding me 
that I am imperfect
and damaged

maybe 

but I also survived