I pull my shell close,
Wrapping it around me
And hiding from the world.
Pain surrounds me,
I cannot escape.
I curl up
In a little ball,
Hugging my knees
To my chest,
Wishing I was invisible.

They throw words
As sharp as daggers
At me,
But they just bounce
Off my shell.
In the safety
Of my little world,
I cry,
Truly cry,
Miserable and afraid.

I gasp for air,
Feeling like the walls
Of the world
Are closing in on me,
Tightening their grip
On my body.

They crack my shell,
With hard words,
Prying into my
Hiding pace,
The only safe place
I had left.
They shatter it
Into a million pieces.

Fragments of my security
Lie scattered across
The floor,
Being stomped on
By angry feet.
I try to gather
The pieces of my life
And put them
Back together,
As they are being destroyed.

I try to make
Myself smaller,
Less of a target,
But they can still see me.
They watch me sob
And quake,
Unable to talk without
Stuttering,
Unable to walk without
Stumbling.

I weakly
Rise to my knees
And try to stand,
But they push me down,
Back down to the ground.
I cannot stand;
My legs will not
Support me.
Nobody helps me
To my feet.
I’m alone
In the midst of a crowd
Of tormentors.
Nobody is coming to
My rescue.

Shattered