“How are you?”


Anxiety gnaws at the brittle bones
wrapped in shredded skin.
Betrayal beats on shaking hands.
Confusion wears away the
fading smile.
Depression rests on sunken shoulders.
Exhaustion carves beneath
expressionless, dull eyes.
Fear drowns gasping lungs.
Gnarled scars peek from behind
their protective bandages.
Hunger claws deep from beneath
protruding ribs.
Insecurity cowers below
baggy clothes.
Jagged edges from smooth razors
refuse to heal.
Kidnapped self esteem hits
rock bottom.
Lies flow faster than
water pouring from a pitcher.
Muffled voices grow louder.
Nicknames from the past haunt
the present.
Overlooked agony twists into
tightly clenched fists.
Pain punctures broken hearts.
Questions left unanswered
consume wandering minds.
Regret eats at left over fingernails.
Sorrow trails through sunken cheeks.
Tears refrain from falling.
Ubiquitous terror of losing more
remains ever-present.
Vacant eyes hold vacant stares.
Weakness tugs at bending knees.
Xanthic skin turns brittle.
Yawning mouths neglect to
speak what needs spoken.
Zillions of secrets being kept
tucked away in darkness,
lost in the
soul.

“Fine.”