The Daggers

Stick and stones they break my bones

But words they really wound me

They pierce me like sharp daggers

Leaving open wounds in which the salt can pour in

Each hateful word, name, judgement

 Forms a dagger stabbing my being

The open wounds lay unhealed

Open to the next word, judgement, or stare 

To deepen the pain and hold they have

But no one knows the pain

No one knows the words that echo through my ears

The daggers from years ago that continue to chip away

That rip my soul, my bare open soul

That tears my heart to shreds

Shreds falling down to the cold stone floor

Losing hope of ever being pieced together

But no one knows

My apparent optimism covers the wounds

The smile of my mask covers the tears

Yet day after day

The daggers stab me

Leaving the open wounds

And this broken girl