Wounds that heal add thickness to the skin -
thick scars prevent them opening again.
It’s not the same for wounds that lie within.

A knife of steel, a dagger or a pin
will draw red blood but we’ll forget the pain -
wounds that heal add thickness to the skin.

The knives of words of scorn cut deeper in.
They wound the soul and it is very plain
it’s not the same for wounds that lie within.

Though cruel words are not as cardinal a sin
as Abel’s murder of his brother Cain,
wounds that heal add thickness to the skin -

internal scars will make the skin more thin -
external healing’s easier to attain;
it’s not the same for wounds that lie within

and whether dealt by strangers or by kin
scars of wounded pride will long remain.
Wounds that heal add thickness to the skin.
It’s not the same for wounds that lie within.

Janice Windle

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/growing-pains-scars/