they say "i love you" and then shove a table into my gut,145Please respect copyright.PENANAp6cdJIodAt
all in the same breath with no hesitation.145Please respect copyright.PENANAtNsIWyvaUK
they apologize two hours twenty-three minutes later145Please respect copyright.PENANAm57LsM0rXO
but no "sorry" will ever hide the bruising.145Please respect copyright.PENANAunwPTkqT0P
145Please respect copyright.PENANAbT1j2Xm0zK
they repeat the same mantra over and over,145Please respect copyright.PENANAxxZSKZtYZq
sounding like a broken record of "sorry"s and "i love you"s145Please respect copyright.PENANAAPvkJ1VK5y
but in the end they still withhold dinner,145Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6xvshn7KY
dangling it above my head like a cat does to a mouse.145Please respect copyright.PENANAguU6Ugh7Tq
145Please respect copyright.PENANAGhNSymu1fk
and they wonder, two years later, why i scarf down meals145Please respect copyright.PENANAVh1Mc3ZwKF
with all the grace of a rabid animal who hasn't seen food in months.145Please respect copyright.PENANAABV7DuwtX7
and they wonder why my hands shake and i flinch145Please respect copyright.PENANAKdTHE41EyB
every time they shout, shoulders hunched in like i can fold myself over.145Please respect copyright.PENANAkm2jseDpTK
145Please respect copyright.PENANAzbk1pTc0Fe
bruises litter my skin, part of it from running into walls and desks,145Please respect copyright.PENANAPop65nzRx7
but part of it is from running from bitter faces and angry hands.145Please respect copyright.PENANAlygUr6DdUZ
my skin is marked, iron-tipped nails ripping into flesh for relief145Please respect copyright.PENANAScQ0Yhr8rv
and blaming the left behind scratches on the dog.145Please respect copyright.PENANAMmQAgN1p7e
145Please respect copyright.PENANAV4F4NgAaMJ
they call it "dermatillomania" and "picker's syndrome",145Please respect copyright.PENANAsJfqbZ2nYF
said it was all mental and to just stop145Please respect copyright.PENANA0Z9MKdiubx
but it was habits formed out of pent up145Please respect copyright.PENANALuCyeaL1sP
frustration and stress and sheer disbelief at the disregard they had for their own daughter's life.145Please respect copyright.PENANAv8yAt9anwU
145Please respect copyright.PENANAMZWo4DgjxP
they said it was all in my mind,145Please respect copyright.PENANAPq2SowiUvy
the anxiety, the stress.145Please respect copyright.PENANArkVu954jpw
that i had a happy, loving family145Please respect copyright.PENANAoHhsjmKLpD
and i was perfectly fine.145Please respect copyright.PENANAkic61TQWLA
145Please respect copyright.PENANAw4qLxoYYYu
i'm not.145Please respect copyright.PENANAJJJnt6niLD
i'm drowning in my own blood145Please respect copyright.PENANAjQXkEZ9x4E
and choking on my tongue145Please respect copyright.PENANA9bEdWFpqtF
when i try to say so.145Please respect copyright.PENANAYPpTGxkAwo
145Please respect copyright.PENANAp73F8ASmxM
...145Please respect copyright.PENANAHe6wKkd4k6
145Please respect copyright.PENANAz7XgHwBcT7
(it's all in my mind.145Please respect copyright.PENANAtfELfHrTXa
every last drop of anxiety,145Please respect copyright.PENANAkEawFfwGIN
i have a happy, loving family.145Please respect copyright.PENANASrS9Ve9j1E
i'm perfectly fine.)145Please respect copyright.PENANA3k68Fq6CAc