My self-induced scars are
quietly fading away
and I already miss them.
I mean,
I spent a hell of a lot
of time
carving tic tac toe
into my biceps with
a tough Cold Steel
serrated blade.

Some people hope the
scars will disappear.
They will.
Into me.
Instead of displaying
external signifiers of
my internal suffering,
I'll return to internal
scarring of the soul,
a life destined for
suffering, and if
the wife or the drugs
don't get to me first,
hopefully the
noose will finally
do the trick….

Scott Holstad, Has authored 9 poetry books. His work has appeared in hundreds of magazines in 26 countries and 5 languages, including journals such as The Minnesota Review, Hawaii Review, Wisconsin Review, Kiosk, Chiron Review, Long Shot, Exquisite Corpse, Textual Studies in Canada, Pacific Review, Poetry Ireland Review, Arkansas Review, Lullwater Review, and Southern Review.