Remember to Forgive

Growing up healing from CPTSD has been hard

Sometimes when the flashbacks hit

I wish I could just forget it all

*

But I am wise enough to know

if I forgot everything

the lessons would go

out the door as well

*

I embrace my scars

just as much as I embrace my flesh

*

They are the record keepers

of my resilience

They are the marks

of hard lessons learned

*

They are the tally marks

of each time I’ve had to forgive

*

Forgiveness is for the warriors

who know love's strength

*

Forgiveness can seem hard

when you still have the wounds

or

when you can still see the scars

*

But like the mother’s kiss on a “boo boo”

forgiveness is the best first aid

because it comes from compassion

for yourself and for others

to be free from suffering

*

And trust me

as someone who has lost

all the skin

on their body

more than thrice

in life’s game

once you forgive

the wounds heal

the scars fade