Shedding Stripes

Just entered this into a competition with the poetry society with the theme being "stripes" Lmfao worth a shot!!

I shed my skin to reveal my stripes
Underneath I'm stained in red, blue and white
A cracked product of my once glorious nation
Controlled, confused and buzzing from contamination

So here I am with horizontal lines
Each one identifies my ancestral's crimes
As I peel back more layers inside my mind
I discover a light inside me that shines

I wave my white flag as a sign of peace
As I often crumble and lose yet another piece
Old wounds begin to split and I leak red at the seems
My ageing skin turns blue as I forget my dreams

In the still calmness of night I flick on a switch
To light the love that you heal me with
My feelings and emotions sometimes have negative effects on you
As I shed my old stripes which are red, white and blue