they say "i love you" and then shove a table into my gut,228Please respect copyright.PENANAFwomoK1zbE
all in the same breath with no hesitation.228Please respect copyright.PENANAG4DavF3Dvl
they apologize two hours twenty-three minutes later228Please respect copyright.PENANAmT5EZu2uay
but no "sorry" will ever hide the bruising.228Please respect copyright.PENANA3FezlYW8Dt
228Please respect copyright.PENANA2b6wmtp5IZ
they repeat the same mantra over and over,228Please respect copyright.PENANAvprVCecL8q
sounding like a broken record of "sorry"s and "i love you"s228Please respect copyright.PENANAu7AbgGzQR5
but in the end they still withhold dinner,228Please respect copyright.PENANAyFnW3M6TAv
dangling it above my head like a cat does to a mouse.228Please respect copyright.PENANAkFrYMQeCJh
228Please respect copyright.PENANAtFbkMzADpV
and they wonder, two years later, why i scarf down meals228Please respect copyright.PENANAZobADOI0vf
with all the grace of a rabid animal who hasn't seen food in months.228Please respect copyright.PENANAkhl8uaB3hc
and they wonder why my hands shake and i flinch228Please respect copyright.PENANACrTW5jZTnx
every time they shout, shoulders hunched in like i can fold myself over.228Please respect copyright.PENANAzi34DshD2O
228Please respect copyright.PENANAOBfWaOEFuf
bruises litter my skin, part of it from running into walls and desks,228Please respect copyright.PENANAqkn1PdFPhb
but part of it is from running from bitter faces and angry hands.228Please respect copyright.PENANAyMIPbuOIXT
my skin is marked, iron-tipped nails ripping into flesh for relief228Please respect copyright.PENANA1ivtRaQ40s
and blaming the left behind scratches on the dog.228Please respect copyright.PENANAO65k8LK3vj
228Please respect copyright.PENANAMC8vKxjfjP
they call it "dermatillomania" and "picker's syndrome",228Please respect copyright.PENANAV0YUsLvqBm
said it was all mental and to just stop228Please respect copyright.PENANAZlff08YyEa
but it was habits formed out of pent up228Please respect copyright.PENANAO6ck4xqWRk
frustration and stress and sheer disbelief at the disregard they had for their own daughter's life.228Please respect copyright.PENANAaYvtWb0xVJ
228Please respect copyright.PENANAzQfRNhzzwh
they said it was all in my mind,228Please respect copyright.PENANANeOTeWqefW
the anxiety, the stress.228Please respect copyright.PENANAcp915F6vkh
that i had a happy, loving family228Please respect copyright.PENANAm8BgKvb5dg
and i was perfectly fine.228Please respect copyright.PENANAC1yWMTxLXH
228Please respect copyright.PENANA5DeLneuMEF
i'm not.228Please respect copyright.PENANATqhcLjunv8
i'm drowning in my own blood228Please respect copyright.PENANAktZpP6z2kL
and choking on my tongue228Please respect copyright.PENANABreCQh9ycm
when i try to say so.228Please respect copyright.PENANA8Q4niJroRF
228Please respect copyright.PENANAPvpn4UhPbR
...228Please respect copyright.PENANATM6Q2EP7YC
228Please respect copyright.PENANA6KqrHIbSgi
(it's all in my mind.228Please respect copyright.PENANAgY1370DXvc
every last drop of anxiety,228Please respect copyright.PENANAAV5o9GNvSS
i have a happy, loving family.228Please respect copyright.PENANA5QOoLLe11g
i'm perfectly fine.)228Please respect copyright.PENANA5mHorI1fWK