Step 1

feel pain. 

and i don't mean stubbing your toe 

or hitting your hip on the table.

i mean real

gut-wrenching pain,

the kind that leaves you shaking

the kind that doesn't stop hurting

for days on end

and you begin to wonder

if it'll ever stop.

Step 2

control it.

take your pain 

in its purest state,

and harness it until it's 

yours and yours alone.

this is your pain and suffering

and nights on end spent 

shaking and staring blankly

at a wall.

these are your tears and 

nights spent with your face in a pillow

to muffle the sound of your screams.

these are the marks of your nails 

dragging down your skin;

the marks so deep

it hurt to tug on your jeans 

the next morning.

this is your raw,

unaltered, pain.

Step 3

write it.

find some way to

force it into words and