Battle Wounds.
Some people have
Tiger stripes.
Some people have
Lightning streaks.
Some people have
Stretch marks.
I have
None of these.
I have
Battle wounds.
Whatever you call them,
These scars are a story.
Whatever you call them
These scars are are staying.
Whatever you call them
These scars are beautiful.
Whether you
Like them
Hate them
Love them
Abhor them
I don't much care.
Until you choose to
Bash those that have them
Shame those that have them and
Make those that have them feel
Inadequate.
Then I do care.
Then you have my attention.
Then you seal your fate.
When you point out
What's clearly
Visible
What's clearly
Something that most people
Hate about themselves
But fail to expose
Your own shortcomings
What is it that
You're hiding?
My stretch marks are not
Hiding anything
But they also are not
Insulting anyone
Like your
Holier-than-thou
Attitude
Has been doing for
Far too long.
My stretch marks are
Battle wounds
Telling a story.
Telling my story.
And that story has
Far more substance
Far more pride, and
Far more dignity
Than what I have seen of
Your own.
Yes,
My stomach has stretch marks.
Yes,
My arms have stretch marks.
Yes,
My legs have stretch marks.
No,
It isn't any of your business.
But since you insist
On bringing them to attention,
Let me educate your
Poor neglected soul.
Let me knock you
Off of your pedestal
Let me tell you
About these scars
If I may.
Let's start with my stomach,
Shall we?
To you,
These marks signify
Gluttony.
In reality,
These marks signify
That even in
The darkest of times,
The hardest of times,
The times I thought
I couldn't handle,
The times I thought
I had nothing left,
I still had food in my belly.
That food came from
Those that love & support me.
And in the
Darkest & hardest of times,
Will you have people to
Love & support you?
Or will they
Walk away?
In the future
These marks will signify
New life
After a child has grown
Inside of me
Ready to take on the world
And all of the evil within it
Including people like you.
That child will
Take on the world
And do his or her part in
Eradicating this world of
The evil within it
Including people like you.
But before he or she can
Take on the world
They will need to be carried
In my arms.
Yes,
I mean these arms with the
Stretch marks.
Don't make your
Disgust so incredibly
Obvious.
That child will need to be carried.
That child will need to be rocked to sleep.
That child will need to be hugged with love.
And what better arms
Than my own with
Extra space for their head to rest
Soft skin to comfort them and
Strength to support them?
And these arms are strong.
They've lifted many boxes
Sanded many pieces of furniture and
Held many a friend in despair.
They held my four-legged brother as he passed away.
They held my books as I went through school.
They hold my loved ones close.
They hold gifts when I'm feeling generous.
These arms are important.
Scars or not.
What have your arms carried?
Or have you simply been
Handed everything
You've ever
Needed?
And the marks on my legs?
Those were earned too.
You probably think that they're from
Eating too much
Sitting on my ass
Working a desk job.
But you'd be sorely mistaken.
These are from
Hard work.
You see
I ran cross country.
I built a large amount of
Muscle
In a short amount of
Time.
And do you know what cross country is?
Endurance.
Strength.
And a little bit of
Insanity.
Because what
Sane person
Would choose to
Run
Three miles a day
Seven days a week?
These legs carried me across
Several finish lines, both
Literal and
Metaphorical.
These legs can
Crush
Your head like a
Watermelon.
These legs can
Carry
Your ego to the
Trash.
These legs can
Walk
Away from people
Like you.
People like
You
Who think they're
Better
Than anyone else
Just because they
Don't have
Stretch marks that are
Visible.
But darling,
I hate to be the
Bearer of
"Bad news," but...
You do have
Stretch marks.
They're on your
Over-inflated
Sanctimonious
Empty
Head.
Only yours are not
Battle wounds.
Yours are not
Evidence of
Hard work.
Yours are consequences
Of misinformation
Of bigotry, and
Of self righteousness.
So maybe
Just maybe
You should
Hush up
Stay quiet &
Stay out of other people's
Business.
Because in the end,
Who really asked
For your
Opinion?
Tiger stripes.
Some people have
Lightning streaks.
Some people have
Stretch marks.
I have
None of these.
I have
Battle wounds.
Whatever you call them,
These scars are a story.
Whatever you call them
These scars are are staying.
Whatever you call them
These scars are beautiful.
Whether you
Like them
Hate them
Love them
Abhor them
I don't much care.
Until you choose to
Bash those that have them
Shame those that have them and
Make those that have them feel
Inadequate.
Then I do care.
Then you have my attention.
Then you seal your fate.
When you point out
What's clearly
Visible
What's clearly
Something that most people
Hate about themselves
But fail to expose
Your own shortcomings
What is it that
You're hiding?
My stretch marks are not
Hiding anything
But they also are not
Insulting anyone
Like your
Holier-than-thou
Attitude
Has been doing for
Far too long.
My stretch marks are
Battle wounds
Telling a story.
Telling my story.
And that story has
Far more substance
Far more pride, and
Far more dignity
Than what I have seen of
Your own.
Yes,
My stomach has stretch marks.
Yes,
My arms have stretch marks.
Yes,
My legs have stretch marks.
No,
It isn't any of your business.
But since you insist
On bringing them to attention,
Let me educate your
Poor neglected soul.
Let me knock you
Off of your pedestal
Let me tell you
About these scars
If I may.
Let's start with my stomach,
Shall we?
To you,
These marks signify
Gluttony.
In reality,
These marks signify
That even in
The darkest of times,
The hardest of times,
The times I thought
I couldn't handle,
The times I thought
I had nothing left,
I still had food in my belly.
That food came from
Those that love & support me.
And in the
Darkest & hardest of times,
Will you have people to
Love & support you?
Or will they
Walk away?
In the future
These marks will signify
New life
After a child has grown
Inside of me
Ready to take on the world
And all of the evil within it
Including people like you.
That child will
Take on the world
And do his or her part in
Eradicating this world of
The evil within it
Including people like you.
But before he or she can
Take on the world
They will need to be carried
In my arms.
Yes,
I mean these arms with the
Stretch marks.
Don't make your
Disgust so incredibly
Obvious.
That child will need to be carried.
That child will need to be rocked to sleep.
That child will need to be hugged with love.
And what better arms
Than my own with
Extra space for their head to rest
Soft skin to comfort them and
Strength to support them?
And these arms are strong.
They've lifted many boxes
Sanded many pieces of furniture and
Held many a friend in despair.
They held my four-legged brother as he passed away.
They held my books as I went through school.
They hold my loved ones close.
They hold gifts when I'm feeling generous.
These arms are important.
Scars or not.
What have your arms carried?
Or have you simply been
Handed everything
You've ever
Needed?
And the marks on my legs?
Those were earned too.
You probably think that they're from
Eating too much
Sitting on my ass
Working a desk job.
But you'd be sorely mistaken.
These are from
Hard work.
You see
I ran cross country.
I built a large amount of
Muscle
In a short amount of
Time.
And do you know what cross country is?
Endurance.
Strength.
And a little bit of
Insanity.
Because what
Sane person
Would choose to
Run
Three miles a day
Seven days a week?
These legs carried me across
Several finish lines, both
Literal and
Metaphorical.
These legs can
Crush
Your head like a
Watermelon.
These legs can
Carry
Your ego to the
Trash.
These legs can
Walk
Away from people
Like you.
People like
You
Who think they're
Better
Than anyone else
Just because they
Don't have
Stretch marks that are
Visible.
But darling,
I hate to be the
Bearer of
"Bad news," but...
You do have
Stretch marks.
They're on your
Over-inflated
Sanctimonious
Empty
Head.
Only yours are not
Battle wounds.
Yours are not
Evidence of
Hard work.
Yours are consequences
Of misinformation
Of bigotry, and
Of self righteousness.
So maybe
Just maybe
You should
Hush up
Stay quiet &
Stay out of other people's
Business.
Because in the end,
Who really asked
For your
Opinion?
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