Llamapowersactivate

People tell you to be happy
But they also push you over
prod and cut you
Step over your wounded body
They make you into a bridge
So that they can cross the river of pain
and when they're done they'll shove you down

Some will drown.

It's hard to keep afloat in the rapids
when instead of being given a life preserver
people throw pills at your head
Trying to drown you in something else
Maybe if there's enough pills the water won't hurt you
and it won't once you reach a robotic psychological state

Instead, you'll suffocate.
Concussions rattling your brain
Bruises being worn like a dirty old shirt
As you reach the shore
Nobody will know what you have gone through
Pointing and whispering on the street
About the bruises down your arms,
your hair soaked and disheveled
They'll avoid you

They don't know that you were out of the blue shoved into the rapids
Being carried down helplessly by the unforgiving river
Hitting every rock
Barely keeping your head above the water
because sometimes it slipped down
it was scary,
and you weren't sure you could break the surface again

But you did.

They don't know how close you were to death
To being thrown off a waterfall
Like a child's rag doll
Instead, they whisper "Wow, look at them, they're all muddy!"

Bloody whispers scrape against your skin,
You'll let some people hear the story behind your scars
Once the bruises have fled leaving only the incisions left by the pointed rocks
People will laugh at you
Why didn't you just put on a life jacket?

Others will understand
They have braved the rapids too
They understand that the life jackets were waved in front of your head
Like some bullies who took your lunch
And when you could finally reach them
You realized every life jacket was too big or too small
Doing more damage than good
Wasting the time you should have been focusing on swimming.
On keeping your head above the water

You survived throughout the slaughter,
when others were too tired to keep swimming
Only rocks in their vision
You found strength without hope
Because for you, there was no hope
Yet you stand,
Alive and well,
Scars and bruises now invisible

Stand tall,
Lift your chin darling,
you're a survivor.
Sometimes you'll be the only one who knows that,
don't force yourself to speak if you aren't ready,
Only those that truly care should be privileged to hear that story,
And my love,
I was privileged that you shared it with me.