i've been showering in the dark
with a nightlight by the door
i've been scratching at my skin
and wearing sweaters off the floor
my eyes are turning purple
and my knuckles faded blue
my lips are bleeding crimson
and my ribs are poking through
my chest is weighing heavy
like an anchor around my neck
i pull against the current
to leave bruises on my flesh
i wish that i could be something
i'd find worthy to keep
i've been refurbished and reused
my tattered limbs are growing weak
if i could climb inside your eyes
if i could tilt the world's lens
if i could magnify the ugly beast
that feasts inside my unruly head
i beg for validation
like a dog begs for food
i feed on answers in the sheets
that only leave me used
marked by deformities
that grow each and every day
carved with insecurities
i'm slowly chipping away
