Outgrown

What, at first glance,
appears to be
an open scar,
a wound
may simply be
a natural progression;
the shedding
of some dying skin,
or some whitewashed ideal
that's been outgrown.
Beware:
the reddened raw appearance
of underlying truth
may awaken
some unexpected immune response
in someone passing by;
an urge to scratch or probe,
or just to stretch the old discarded life
back over,
to cover up the heart
we didn't want to see.