Leaving the scars behind
It took a long time for De’Jon Simons’ body to heal from disfiguring third degree burns received in an horrific 2004 motorcycle accident but it took his mind even longer.He was a 16-year-old student at the Berkeley Institute when his motorbike burst into flames after a crash, leaving him with burns to at least 95 percent of his body, including his face. In the immediate aftermath of the accident he was not expected to survive. He was rushed off the Island to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital for Burn Survivors in Boston, Massachusetts, where his life was saved.“After I recovered and left the hospital in Boston, for a long time, my mind still felt like it was back in the Intensive Care Unit,” said Mr Simons, 23. “People were telling me to go to shrinks and therapy and things like that, but, at the end of the day, it all came down to me.”He turned, instead, to something he had loved since he was 12 years old writing.He began putting down his innermost thoughts and feelings as poetry. This month, he released some of his work in a new book.‘Memoirs of My Scars’ was published locally by CKC Publishing, a new publishing label created by Cha’Von Clarke.Seven years after the accident, Mr Simons has come a very long way. He is currently a student at the Bermuda College studying literature and writing, and he has a 19-month-old son, Kali, who lives abroad. For him, poetry has been a lifesaver on many dark days during his recovery.“Poetry describes my emotions in words that I can describe,” he said. “It is a compilation of the last six years since the accident. I showed someone else one of my poems and they were awed by how provocative my writing is. The book is personal to me. One day I was in the shower and it just clicked to me, ‘why don’t you put a book out?’ I had been constantly writing.”His first poem in the book is called ‘I Am Not My Skin’. The form of it was inspired by poet Maya Angelou’s piece, ‘Still I Rise’.“‘I Am Not My Skin’ was the hardest piece to write, but it was something that I really had to sit down and do,” he said. “It had to be really personal, and really show how it is.”The poem reads in part:“One look will suffice, one look will sufficeOver a physique that’s deemed destructiveAn intricate web it blends, from light to darknessStrips of flesh, all lay cautiousIn life it conquers, in heaven it’s flawless.”He hoped that people would take their own interpretation and meaning from what he had written.“That is the beauty of poetry and that is exactly why I wrote it,” he said. “I want my readers to find their own story in my writing. We all hide behind different scars. A lot of people mask themselves in different ways. It is hard for people to express themselves. If someone like me, who has been burned beyond recognition, can put my most vulnerable self out there, it shows that other people can do it as well.”Before publishing his book, Mr Simons would often put his poetry online through a website or through his Facebook page. Many of his friends and family gave feedback. He has also been heavily involved with the Chewstick Foundation, frequently performing his work at Chewstick open mic nights.“The first time I went to Chewstick, I got the whole vibe of it and thought, ‘this is for me’,” he said. “At first, it was a bit scary going in front of the mic at Chewstick. Poetry is more intimate. It is more personal. When you are putting it out there, you wonder if people will like your work. Chewstick offers an environment where everyone is comfortable. If you miss a word, or mess up a line, people cheer you on and give you encouragement.”He has also appeared several times at different venues in the United States as a motivation speaker, sharing his experiences with others with the hope that they would be inspired.Mr Simons plans for ‘Memoirs of my Scars’ to be only the beginning. He is already working on several other books including another book of poetry, and an autobiography.“In this book he is leaving behind the scars,” said publisher Ms Clarke. “He is leaving behind what he has been through. In the next book he will start expressing who he is now. This book is great because it helps someone to understand that for him he is so much more than his outer appearance. He has so much depth inside. The first poem ‘I Am Not My Skin’, speaks volumes to what he has been through because of his accident. It shows how he has grown because of it and where he is now.”Mr Simons first met Ms Clarke through a modelling gig at the Jakoma modelling agency while she served as the group’s public relations manager.“I went through a stage where I thought I could model,” he said. “It was an artistic stage. My appearance might be gruesome to some people, but on an artistic level it adds a natural texture to things, that I accepted. It adds a whole different flavour to what you are trying to produce.”He became friends with Ms Clarke and began helping her with the graphic design side of a magazine she was producing at the time called ‘Slique’.Mr Simons said it took him years, before he could accept himself, and figure out who he really was. For this reason, ‘Memoirs of My Scars’ represents a kind of milestone in his emotional recovery.“It is not just a book to me,” he said. “It is ‘this is where I use to be, and this is where I am now’. Six years ago, I didn’t know my message. Now I know what I am supposed to do and how much power I have. That is where this book comes in. It opens that platform, where I can help other people.”Mr Simons will sign copies of his book on Saturday at The Bookmart at Brown and Company from 12pm to 2pm. Books will be available for purchase at that time.The book is also available online, www.ckccorporation.com.