The warrior inside
Hair, short, messy sweaty
Colored by the war in the midnight sky
Eyes encapsulated by the mud of the earth
Battle cry
Thousands of voices
Heart pounds and thumps
Body a scarred temple
Used and hurt
Crimson painting her terracotta skin
Taking in that last breath
Assigned to her kin
She aims with her arrow
Squints her soul
Exhale
Let go
Strikes through the heart of her worst fears
Target…
Her feet blister and bleed
She traverses the humid terrain
Stepping on thorns reminds her of pain
The pain she once knew
But has overcome
The lotus sits untouched in its pond
Glistened in its roots
Golden hue shines
Reveals her
Dawn awakes
And her tears break
Trueness cries out
And her natural face
Freckled and scarred
Nothing to hide
Not this time