I would love to say that I am a happy teenage girl
and that I've never drank
and that I've never done drugs
and that I have impeccable grades
and that I have a great relationship with my parents
and that I love my friends
and that I love to see the sun come up
and that I've never hurt myself
and that I've never smoked a cigarette
and that I've never been with boys much older than me.
But I would really love if someone asked me, really asked me, what was wrong.

All day, Every Day
Working hard, I'm a slave
Count my money, I gotta save
Not enough, I'm underpaid
Next week comes, it's the same
Blow it all, can't get laid

All week, every week
Same old ****, you never speak
Never complain, try to preach
What gets in, nothing in reach
Skin is bubbling, temperatures peaked
Brain is empty, something leaked

i was 6 years old
and he told me that
i wouldn't dare tell my mother
about what happened
when she went to sleep

i never understood
why it's called "making love"
when all i ever wanted to do
was crawl into a deep dark pit
and erase my existence
from everyone's memories.

so the second time
my arms were held beside
my shaking body
as i whispered "stop"
into a boys mouth
with hate so heavily
coating his tongue
and teeth
it rubbed off into me
i didn't say a word
in the morning
because that's how i
was raised.

love is a foreign word
to the people like me
who didn't just
lose their virginity.
i threw mine into a well
and never looked back

words hurt.
have you ever been stabbed by an adjective
or ripped up inside by a verb?
how about those adverbs that modify
the emptiness we all feel inside?

words are a living creature.
lurking over the enjambment of the letters,
terrorizing those who hear them.
and yet;
we still use them.
pushing us over the edge
as they're muttered by those who
are not worthy of their power.
of their
grace.

but nouns hurt the worst.
razor blades and lemon juice
are like an ant to a human
compared to nouns.
and the only way we can combat
these fierce enemies
is to not listen.
but how can i cover my ears from
something i adore?

and how can i cover my ears
to protect myself from words when
i need them?
i need them more than Tina needed Ike
more than Lindsay Lohan needs coke
more than Beyonce needs Jay
more than Lucifer needs God to stay alive.
And how can I shield myself from words
when all I want to do
is hear the phrase
"everything is going to be okay."