The next one stepped forward with forced steps. She had strings hanging around her neck and hands. She had some cuts, but they were shallow – maybe papercuts? Strings holding too tight? With shaking hands; she took off her mask since she wanted to believe she didn't need to wear it. She began her story.
“School
In the fragile bloom of teens, where shadows stretch
And laughter dances with echoing whispers,
You stood, a painted doll in a world of porcelain faces,
Every glance a dagger, every smile a cruel mirror.
Amidst the clamor of faces, you felt invisible,
Each label a chain, sticky notes of shame,
Cloaked in the weight of their mockery,
Missing the light buried under their taunts.
Blindfolded by the weight of judgment, a prisoner inside your skin.
“Loser,” “fat,” “ugly”—echoes of a relentless barrage,
From school halls
"Why am I not enough?"—a question that was carved into your bones.
Yet in the depths of online refuge,
You found kindred spirits, shining stars in digital dusk,
Where laughter was genuine, untainted by scorn,
Tethered to hope, you guys soared beyond the cruel world,
Conversation, Poetry, Story writing
Finding strength in shared scars, stitched together with threads of understanding.
Family
Bullied on your trembling essence,
Jokes crumbling you to nothing but dust.
“Lose weight, dress right, or you’ll wear that shame,”
Their echoes clawed at the very fabric of you.
Each joke a cruel reminder of how unfit you were
The choices they made, wrapped in venom,
Became your chains, binding your spirit to their control.
They dressed you like a marionette, strings pulled taut,
Each layer of makeup a mask draped over longing,
A masquerade to fit in, but twisted was the play.
Moments surged, bright flames of possibility,
Then snuffed, a cold wind stealing warmth away,
Voices fell like a rainstorm, drowning out your own song.
Aching for freedom to get out of this body and not be a burden anymore
A full pills whispered promises of release the demons smile slyly
But Brittany’s light and God’s/Universe's tender hand gripped your pulse,
Pulling you back from the edge of oblivion, reminding you:
You still have purpose here, You belonged to be here."
