Soft Thorns

we choose to stay numb because
we think it keeps us safe
but the most dangerous thing
we can do is forget how to feel

thank you for the scars
the right one will say
they’re beautiful

and then it all hit me: i had all these painful, scary, and depressing days to thank for the person i had become. if i hadn’t hit my proverbial rock bottom, i would not have been able to plant my roots and grow upward.

the rose knows well
always picked first
yet never a chance
to grow

appearance and intelligence
are not codependent
they coexist
your appearance
does not define
your intelligence

demons try to control us
but out in the open
they’re nothing more
than whispers
of a painful past
you will be safe in the right hands

beauty does not solve problems

it’s just a different map

down the same road

someone once told me

they were scared of

the truth in my eyes

so i learned to live

my life blind

maybe we fall

in love with sad eyes

because we see our souls

reflected in them

i don’t remember love as a child

my only teacher being magazines

and movie screens

so i spent my life

searching for fantasies

but a fantasy in real life

is also known as a lie

you can tear someone apart

just as easily with

unwanted names

an undressing gaze

perverted hands

a penetrating tongue

those scenes

will be replayed

and paused

rewound

and started again

with every touch

and lingering stare

penetration is not

the only rape

i met him at a bar when he told me

i don’t date women under 5 foot 10

and i grew smaller

thinking i would never be

good enough for him

so when he invited me

back to his place for

drinks and some blow

as women
we’ve grown deaf
to the whistles
and whispers
that come with
walking down the street
we’ve learned to keep
our heads down
growing small
into the shells
we never asked for
these habits leave scars
that will never heal
because we were born
into a world
where our bodies
do not belong
to us
these things happen to girls like you
this is a lie you have been told
he showed me a picture
of a beautiful girl
soft skin and lingerie
can you believe she’s a lawyer?
words that crack like a whip
every time i hear them
can you believe?
yes
of course i can
i can believe a woman
who has long hair
big eyes
breasts and hips
and dripping curves
is capable
of studying in school
reading a book
writing a thesis
arguing a point
winning a case
appearance and intelligence
are not codependent
they coexist
your appearance
does not define
your intelligence
your appearance
is simply the cover
to your inner memoir

the truth hurts because
we live in a world
so used to lies

your weakest moments

are your strongest

in disguise

time will either

heal you or kill you

so if you’re reading this

you are healing

i promise you

we are not born broken