for so long i've been walking
wounded
knives in my back,
arrows through my chest.
when you're hurt,
you have to clean
the incision,
seal it,
give it time to heal.
i skipped the
first step
and rushed ahead.
i tried to heal around
the knives.
i tried to heal
around the arrows.
my skin engulfed them
so tight that they had become
a part of me.
until one day i realized
and started to pluck them
each one by one
reopening any wounds
i had worked so hard to
nurse and care for.
now i dig at my skin.
the bleeding has resumed
and the worst pain comes
from cleaning out the wounds.