I stand here before you naked
Shaking and afraid
It is not my skin that I am baring
It is my soul that is on display
My skin highlights my trials
Scars my vanity tries to hide
Tales of clumsiness and illness
The stories of my life
I try in vain to hide those scars
With make-up, clothes, and denial
I don’t want you to see my ugliness
Concealment is my greatest desire
But that is just my skin
An outer shell that will one day fade
The scars of my soul are much deeper
They are complex, bubbled and raised
Trauma has left me black and blue
Bruises so deep they burden my soul
It is these scars that I try to hide
But those can’t be hidden with clothes
These scars are only hidden
With smiles, laughter and good advice
Because I am here to help others
It is only with me that I think twice
Baring these scars makes me suffer
I can’t stand to see them myself
I know in the end I’ll be judged
But who I am is all that I have left
So, I humbly stand before you
To show you all my flaws
And to tell you how I overcame them
And turned them into stars
