I am bloodied, torn and naked
My soul has been exposed
My secrets become journals
My hope and ambitions as dust to be tread upon

I am bloodied
No secrets have I left to hide
That part of me, so long hidden,
has been totally cut open and taken out
Leaving a barren, hollow pit in place of a soul.

I am torn asunder
No flesh left on my bones
Drawn, quartered and left in the dirt
To be examined, then left behind
I am my own enemy, making war with myself!

I am naked
each garment ripped from my body
the expense does not matter or count
as the day I came into this world
I now stand for all to see.

I am bloodied, torn and naked
Yet somehow I have managed to hold it together
I have gone through self-loathing, mistrust and fear
I exposed me for the world to see
Yet, even medication did not soothe the pain

I had no illusions, no dreams, and no hopes
Numbness, not feeling or caring, got me by
I let years, yes decades pass me by,
But, deep down inside, something grew

I fought my fears, my spitefulness, my loneliness
I grew and became a new person, a stronger person
I was and am still bloodied, torn and naked
But I have survived and can accept all that I was, am and will be

Most importantly, I've come to realize,
I like me!

MAW
7/6/06