artt,

Literary (Submission): Man of Ink

5/26/2018 09:34:00 PM Media Center 0 Comments

A barcode on my left wrist
I am branded
Nothing more than an empty vessel
Of repetitions and clones
Of rules and barriers
I always feel like—

I am not me.

A “Mom <3" on my right arm 
A proclamation of my undying love
To the woman who endured
This world of pain
To shield me from it

Yet, she had to leave early.

A girl’s name across my chest
A constant reminder
Of my eternal sorrow
That even though I thought
‘We’re perfect for each other’
I still wasn’t enough for her

And she wasn’t the one for me.

A pair wings on the span of my back
But, despite the societal chains
Of norms and conformity
I refuse to obey and adjust
To what they tell me to be
For I believe with these—

I am free to be me.

An anchor on my left arm
Despite the waves of despair
And the surge of tears
To budge is not in my blood
Why then, after everything,
Would I be shaken now?

I am stronger than I think.

A semi-colon on my right wrist
And because of every failure, flaw and trial
I used to try to end everything
But, despite the grief and despair
To give up was never the answer
I will not let darkness win

This is not my end.