Let my scars leave brilliant traces

I am very saddened by the apparent suicide of student Travis Green at our University. I did not know him, but I have known people who have made the decision to take their own life, and I know how terribly difficult it is for their family and friends to comprehend.

If you are considering suicide, please know that there is 24-hour help available to you: http://www.counseling.txstate.edu/Suicide-Prevention.html

And if you need to speak with someone for any reason at all, please know that it is a sign of great strength to reach out and ask for help when you are feeling helpless. The University offers many different types of counseling services: http://www.counseling.txstate.edu/services/counsel.html

Travis Green was a talented writer, and published his work online.

This poem has been a salve for me when I have gone through coping with the suicide of someone close:

Individuation by Avah Pevlor Johnson
If I must be wrung through the paradox,
-- broken into wholeness,
wring me around the moon;
pelt me with particles from the dark side.
Fling me into space;
hide me in a black hole.
Let me dance with devils on dead stars.
Let my scars leave brilliant traces,
for my highborn soul seeks its hell --
in high places.