to you
my scars
of being a two-time
survivor
were invisible
yes
you knew my story
and you loved me
through it all
and incredulously
to you
my scars
were invisible
you truly
saw me
as I was
before
42 years ago
free
brave
whole
your death
last summer
left a hole in me
not only from
your leaving
but in your seeing
me as truly me
died with you
today
I reclaim those
adjectives
as how
I see
myself
and I share
this insight
with every other survivor
public and private alike
especially every
single Epstein survivor
we are all
free
brave
whole
even if we see
our scars
some days
Jennifer Gurney lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Her poetry is widely published, two of her poems have won international contests and one was turned into a choral piece. Jennifer has 11 books of poetry.
