This simple ugly sweater

I wear no matter the weather

Soft wool whispers

A comfort so tight

Hiding stories out of sight

Stitched seams tell of a story where warriors live,

Hiding the wounds that the eyes seem to give.

Warm touch embraces patterns fingers can weave,

Healers exist, if hard to perceive.

Shadows from red, cradle the pain,

Here in the sweater, I feel light from the strain.

Soothes the heart, swathes with courage,

Fixing the shards I struggle with.

Scars from the past I securely put away,

In public, I roam, yet I feel held at bay.

Softly reclaim, each pulse each name,

Every spirit feels strained, labels feel tame.

A grace of comfort, soft armor I wear,

Reminding me the battles fought make me stare.

A journey we set ourselves on to heal,

With each moment we seep into,

Breaks are how we feel.

Taking stillness that gripped tight in light

Filling me to rise bright in daylight.

Write my own song in this sweater that coddles me,

Belonged where scars once stitched the melody.