When the man on the corner gives you looks
While you're walking home from school
You will learn to shrink into yourself.

When the boys at school talk about your body
As if you're not sitting right there
You will act as if you've disappeared,
And when you come back
You will no longer know the difference between a compliment
And another degrading word.

When the person you trusted most,
The one who was supposed to save you,
Took the definition of respect
And replaced it with a sense of paranoia,
And a fear of human touch.
You will forget who you are.

Shrink.
Shrink.
Shrink.
The silence will taste bad on your tongue
As will the laughter in their mouths.
Shrink.
Shrink.
Shrink.
Until you no longer have a body made for love
Instead hate.