She unravels constantly.
Being everything for everyone
Neglecting who she cares about
Betrayed by those once in that place.

Straining for heights out of reach
She is shot down.
Her arm still outstretched

To what avail.
She sets up for failure before the idea is formed
Stuck in the cycle,
The rat on the wheel running to accomplish nothing

Dreams of leaving everyone behind coats her tongue
She is shot healing other’s bullet wounds.
Falling behind.
Self sacrifice is her core.
Her feet are tarnished
Dragging to do tasks she allowed.

Boundaries lost in her blind run for attention.
She is no stranger to lying.
She stacks lies to shield from prying eyes.
The vile deed of humanity.
We survive.
When we cannot look at ourselves,
we turn to our peers.

Flowers sprout from this hellscape.
Learn to grow your own garden

Even with stolen tools.

A hostage at home.
There is no reason to feel unsafe,
Yet safety seems to be hiding.

Suffocating in your skin.
Fire in your lungs that grows with every breath,
Eyes overflow threatening to flood your life
Hide away.
Find safety.
Shrink to that dark corner,
Escape.

That feeling,
Morbidly comforting
Always there.
Perched like an old friend

Longing for its warmth,
Emptiness consuming you
The harsh coldness of the world envelopes you
Within it, you burn.
You crawl away,
Trying to clear your eyes
from the smoke of lies and promises

Far from it,
The smoke follows you,
It holds strong onto your hair,
The stench a constant reminder.

How does one escape themselves?

Keep.
It.
Together.

Your mind ensnared,
Trapped like prey
In the eyes of a hungry predator
Scorched lungs
Your breath, soot.
No escaping the feeling.
Prey knows its purpose.

It is still your favorite place.

You, my darling, are never alone,
In the shadows, I see you—aching, unknown.
I am here with matches, I will strike them all for you.

You deserve more than this world can bestow,
Though the cards are stacked, the odds unkind,
I’ll give you my cards every time.

When the weight is heavy, your shoulders weak,
I’ll lift you higher, the strength you seek.
For in your eyes, I see the spark—
A flame that survives, through thick and thin.

So let the world deal it's cruel hand,
Together, we’ll rise, together, we’ll stand.
I’ll reshuffle the deck, rewrite your fate,
For you, my darling, I’ll forever wait.

All they see is your bark and your bite,
I see the tiredness,
the hurt that you carry,
I ache to take your pain away.

You love the hand that feeds you,
It brings you pain and pleasure
Side by side they walk,
Only the pain leaves scars.
How cruel the feast the hand brings
a stomach filled with guilt,
or hollowed by shame.

Choice is the world's most dangerous poison
It is our only cure,
the very thing that keeps us alive
Maybe we are already dead
I hate that we must drink it.

I try so hard to save you.
You, the fighting dog
The loving dog
The hurting dog

Love and hate,
so intertwined they bleed into each other.
How much more must we bleed
Before we can love each other openly?

I wish those we loved
Didn’t carve forks in the roads of our lives.

Shaky breaths rattle your bones,
Your eyes search for safety.
You feel their hands,
When you look down, nothing is there.
A cruel trick,
To prepare for next time
When you failed the first.
"No means no."
The lady says,
Her hand on your chin pulls you in
She is so tall her head reaches the clouds
She speaks with the sound of thunderstorms
"I gave you this voice. Why didn't you use it, child?”
A deer in headlights, you were frozen.
“Do they pity you?”
Like the deer wilting on the roadside.

If I give enough of myself, will you feel whole?
If I pour myself out, will there be enough room for you?
If I make myself small enough, will you feel big?
If I dim myself enough, will you shine?
If I poison myself, will you be healed?

If I **** myself, will you finally live?

A damaged box
a fragile label slapped on every angle
Demanding caution from hands that will never care
Screaming in bold red font
Not just a warning, a burden—
‘Hold to these standards,’
The weight of the label grows heavier,
An impossible request for perfection.

It’s okay
It is just the box.
It is the insides that matter
Maybe they are still intact.

Open it up
Check to see if it is broken
Don’t worry if it is
You can just get rid of it.
Guilt free
After all, it wasn’t you who broke it

Oh no,
The insides are broken too.
Now it’s trash— Discarded without a second thought.
How quickly the value of an item can drop
Does the outside define the worth within?
What if the box is pristine and the insides are broken?