Bruises by Sneha Sadhukhan (16, India)

[Content warning: self-harm]

I press my fingers to the bruises
On my elbows- the ones I got
From running into walls and tables
Trying to escape my own clumsiness

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They fade slowly- 
Black, purple, green, yellow
And leave behind marks
That nothing can erase.

I press deeper and harder
Till the sting of right now makes
The invisible whispers of past pain 
Go away.

I wish I could cut open the bruises
And pry out the soiled flesh 
Bubbling underneath my paper skin
With my bare hands.

I wonder if I’d bleed
And if it would hurt
When the million little drops
Glided down my arms and ran to the floor

I’d do anything to give the bruises back
I never wanted them- 
They fade- Black, purple, green, yellow
But they never go away.

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