they say "i love you" and then shove a table into my gut,304Please respect copyright.PENANAD2VASLwKSa
all in the same breath with no hesitation.304Please respect copyright.PENANAUj3yDpVKVU
they apologize two hours twenty-three minutes later304Please respect copyright.PENANAmyNDZCn3XQ
but no "sorry" will ever hide the bruising.304Please respect copyright.PENANAnCCso7lyrj
304Please respect copyright.PENANAeZdQDYeuOq
they repeat the same mantra over and over,304Please respect copyright.PENANAtMD1nzOJZI
sounding like a broken record of "sorry"s and "i love you"s304Please respect copyright.PENANAdKBIeO5giH
but in the end they still withhold dinner,304Please respect copyright.PENANAddXxsW5pM5
dangling it above my head like a cat does to a mouse.304Please respect copyright.PENANAAFPjgeoHB2
304Please respect copyright.PENANABbtvThCm1c
and they wonder, two years later, why i scarf down meals304Please respect copyright.PENANAteBuf7Ct55
with all the grace of a rabid animal who hasn't seen food in months.304Please respect copyright.PENANAtyAhMNYCqz
and they wonder why my hands shake and i flinch304Please respect copyright.PENANAQqEvK3YWur
every time they shout, shoulders hunched in like i can fold myself over.304Please respect copyright.PENANAsP9kOnZpT4
304Please respect copyright.PENANAW5LQjotiEq
bruises litter my skin, part of it from running into walls and desks,304Please respect copyright.PENANAjEBuV6J5ie
but part of it is from running from bitter faces and angry hands.304Please respect copyright.PENANAIjPifqExhW
my skin is marked, iron-tipped nails ripping into flesh for relief304Please respect copyright.PENANA6ejJEcIC5u
and blaming the left behind scratches on the dog.304Please respect copyright.PENANAoG0dBBfvZ9
304Please respect copyright.PENANAK6TmQ5MDW1
they call it "dermatillomania" and "picker's syndrome",304Please respect copyright.PENANADDHjaa09kg
said it was all mental and to just stop304Please respect copyright.PENANAeHYQEvqL1V
but it was habits formed out of pent up304Please respect copyright.PENANALbQ5qoTLNZ
frustration and stress and sheer disbelief at the disregard they had for their own daughter's life.304Please respect copyright.PENANAkhgKQEIQLU
304Please respect copyright.PENANAKKkQsHQjut
they said it was all in my mind,304Please respect copyright.PENANA3GYntwkF1b
the anxiety, the stress.304Please respect copyright.PENANAG8KIQ2tYm7
that i had a happy, loving family304Please respect copyright.PENANAnw7oomcuVB
and i was perfectly fine.304Please respect copyright.PENANA4U1NWLApUd
304Please respect copyright.PENANA4r7mRptqSu
i'm not.304Please respect copyright.PENANA1MiHYmPwcz
i'm drowning in my own blood304Please respect copyright.PENANAvnDQgQtUKL
and choking on my tongue304Please respect copyright.PENANAbdikQXSgli
when i try to say so.304Please respect copyright.PENANAzg2lMhKI63
304Please respect copyright.PENANA3e19iytRxC
...304Please respect copyright.PENANA5ik4oAUzhc
304Please respect copyright.PENANAFwmAnhRRcA
(it's all in my mind.304Please respect copyright.PENANAoVpKYXZNu7
every last drop of anxiety,304Please respect copyright.PENANACkniaMetQU
i have a happy, loving family.304Please respect copyright.PENANALaEdzzUZsm
i'm perfectly fine.)304Please respect copyright.PENANAq6HMimw5Xb