I sit deep in jersey sand
And even through
Darkened plastic lenses
I see them


My thighs
Loose and white
Appear as war victims
Scars run across their expanses
I have been sliced
Mutilated
I wonder if others see them

Razor slashes
Red and angry
Against pale soft
Pillowy thighs
So bright and screaming
In early afternoon sun

I attempt to cover them
Self consciously with my arms
But in the bright
I can see the past there too
Up and down my left forearm
Scars I thought had disappeared
Returned to life
Like invisible ink
Under a black light

I run into the ocean
Before anyone can see