New lands grow on my skin.
Decorating my hands and wrists, arms and hips
With new countries on an ocean
With ever lowering waterlines of self esteem
Exploring these virgin territories with a broken compass
I followed always knowing comfort would follow soon enough

I became an explorer in the 5th grade
With blind eyes
I dug away to find a new land hiding just beneath the skin on my left arm
The journey was painful but still
I got to heaven
When I was just eleven

I still explore to this day,
Sometimes I can only muster the strength to find one
Hiding, begging not to be found
On the upper oceans of my legs
Or in the hidden canyons of my hips

Sometimes the energy explodes from me
Skin breaks, squealing, cracking open
To reveal the new land
That had been forming under the waters for too long

I’ve tried a new compass
To burn down the sails
To take control of the wheel
Re-draw all the maps

But I always draw a course to find the land that I know will be there
It’s always waiting for me
A few strokes away from a new trophy of exploration.