Battles won
Battles lost
She won the war
Against the blade
Scars on her arm
a purpleish hue
like the last drops of blood
that kept her heart beating
while doctors tried
to save her on that fateful day
an eternity of minutes
had passed when at last
a faint breath exhaled
from her frosty blue lips
blue like tears
on her mother's face
her heart felt numb
no longer
but stricken with hope
days grew past
in the prison of white
while words poured out
of her head
the purple faded
to a tired pink
like the pills she takes
to help her get to sleep at night
her eyes cried out a million tears
in her head, the aching fears
have not subsided
they're left to plague her, but diminishing
the scars on her arm,
a silvery web
and the patch on her heart
had time to mend
she went home
to a house of sunny faces
and grew strong
in the warmth of their embraces
the scars grew white
and soon she was
able to sleep through the night
without nightmares waking her up
months went by
in an orderly fashion
the words flowed out
in figurative language
scars disappeared
leaving a clean slate
her tears all cried out
no more opening flood gates
blood kept inside
her heart kept beating
with each day she rose
sometimes blue and gray
other days with a smile
she put on a brave face
and lived her life
all the stronger,
for the war that she had won