Morgan LaMonica

 

The hot air balloon lifts from off my shoulder
The snake coils snugly around my thigh
The flower blooms across my breast
Layer upon layer upon layer
Of meaning to their canvas.

Each tells a story.
Each has their tale.
The next one is being written
Painted onto its page
Layer upon layer upon layer.

As the pain bites into me,
The tears prick my eyes.
As I lay unmoving,
Breath fluttering my chest.

The needles whirling hungrily,
The buzzing filling my head.
I wonder if this is worth it.
They say it is so much money.
They say it is so much pain.
But to me, it is worth it
I am commissioning an artist
Who I selected out of hundreds
Who I decided would be perfect
To capture the newest part of me.

I save the money needed
To purchase their skill
To purchase their concentration.
This is a piece of jewelry
One that will never get lost.
Never tarnished
Never broken
Never forgotten
These are my beautiful forever scars.

My body is a temple
And this is how I choose to decorate its walls.