Your bones snap each time you think about his apology

Sharp shards of ivory that poke through the skin

 

You tell yourself this is how is how it’s supposed to be

Silently breaking your bones back until they fit nearly

In your skeleton like puzzle pieces

 

Your skin is bruised but you love the colours

You can’t look him in the eyes

But he doesn’t seem to mind

 

You’re only eighteen but ready to tear open the skin

Pull each toothpick bone out like loose thread

 

You wish he had just kept quiet

Your lungs are burnt and your skin is red

 

By the time you’re nineteen I hope you learn to stop sacrificing

Yourself for others

There’s no love in it

 

Let the splinters heal

Sink into your frame and set the foundations for a stronger you

Your bones will ignite and glow

Sharp shards that hold you up

In the face of those that hurt you