cicatrix

this is what they
do not tell you:

it doesn’t end when the scab closes,
and the skin heals.
scars
penetrate deep beneath the surface,
ache
when you press their newness,
itch
until you rake your fingernails
over the sensitive new tissue:

they do not tell you it can take years
for the tenderness to leave.

doctors will say: stop
cutting yourself, you
keloid
[scar visibly, raised, violently]

patiently waiting for your skin
to finally start to assimilate,
when the redness
starts to fade
– these
are the lessons you learn on your own
lessons you relearn,
every time,
as,
each time, you manage to forget
and the agony of healing
surprises you