people romanticize the pain they haven't felt
i could write about how you pinched
crescent moons into my skin
and how your fists turned my arms into
a canvas of blue and purple and brown;
blood bursting into a waterfall
but there's nothing romantic
about nightmares that make you sweat
there's nothing beautifully tragic
about abuse and mental disorders
the thing is,
pain is a wave that crashes over you
and a box that your elbows can't cram into
pain is flame and my wax skin is melting

*(a.m.c.)