I built my walls of sand and salt

They stood tall around me, but you had to be the ocean.

When your tides came they dissolved to nothing,

left me bare.

You saw me

as I am

twisted up, warped to inner disfunction

broken elbows, scraped knees,

sore tendons, and

black bruises on a mangled heart.

Alone in this visible silence

and with the sand gone I could breathe.

You saw me, every lie, every "I'm okay" and "I'm fine"

You broke the foundation

of my unfinished facade

You saw every winter,

every tear, every shattering grasp at breath.

Every sidewalk crack, in the darkness of my skin.

You saw me walk with ice in my bones,

laugh with acid in my veins.

You watched me hold on for dear life

only to lose to myself again

And you did nothing to help me

You nicknamed me "Lost Girl"

and my story became the subject of your poetry

because rather than help me stand

you would like to watch me suffer