How

How

 come I did not know....

Do I have eyes that shut,

Ears that are deaf to

the depth of pain

 that you are in?

Your knife’s blade does the crying

As it sinks into your pale skin’s arms-

The arms I washed as a baby,

New and pink, soft and wrinkled,

Sweetly scented folds of perfection.

Now marred

forearms

With angry red hen-scratches,

outlining

inner turmoil.

 

Scratching, Scratching

In the dry dust of your own anguish.

Please stop.

There are healthier ways

To release your pain.

Let me wrap my arms around yours,

like a mother bird wraps her wings

around her young;

providing safety and warmth.

I love you so much.

Let me in.

Reviews

[David Scott]

My daughter was struck by lightning...
It really messed her up.
On the outside she looks perfectly normal and happy.
Inside, she is a mess. Her brain does not connect like it used to. Parts of her brain are literally "fried".
So, she cuts, burns, trys to hurt herself to show she has real pain and to mask the overwhelming pain nobody can see.
It is a coping mechanism. It a even addictive. It helps keep them alive.
Yes, there are better ways. They need to feel safe and un judged. They also need someone outside true family like a therapist to talk to.
I'm sorry you are dealing with this too. You are not blind or deaf. There is a reason they do not cry out for help in other ways. The how of there outcry is not as important as the why.

Do not loose hope. She is coping at least. She is surviving and she is crying out. This is not all bad.

[Nautili]

Wow. So sorry that happened to her. I hope she can learn to cope with her deficits without self-harm, I will write you separately what is going on with my daughter.