stigma

i would love to say

recovery has a finish line 

one where crowds roar 

as you break the paper divide 

with arms outstretched 

in hallelujah praise God 

recovery really is 

a thankless job you 

more or less do in the dark 

it’s also a taskmaster 

that waits by your bed each dawn 

sayin’ get up g-damnit 

don’t drown in victimhood 

and when you finally decide to hoist

up that golden survivor flag 

you begin to curse that title 

more and more each day 

all you want 

after all your scars

is to be a human 

free of mark

*Published in From The Ashes: An International Anthology of Womxn's Poetry