Little Moons by Cove Johnson Rabidoux (15, USA)

Content Warning: Self-harm
Oh little one, with skin so pure and soft
Have you ever felt nails on skin?
Have you ever seen crescent moons rise?
​No, your moons are simply in the sky. 

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Have you ever felt tears,
Streaming down your face?
Have you ever seen the blood,
that your half-mooned nails can make? No, your moons are simply in the sky.
Your breaths aren’t full of despair.
Your smile isn’t stitched with thread. Your throat doesn’t bubble with sorrow. Your nails don’t carve into your skin.
Your body isn't bound with dread.
Your palms don’t show the signs of fear. Your skin is unmarked by nails.
Your worries aren’t echoed in the night. Your fears aren’t found in your fingers. Your heart doesn’t ache with pain.
No, your moons are in your sky.
My moons aren’t in the sky,
instead, they remain in my mind.
A reminder of my suffering and strife, A reminder of all I’ve done wrong.
But, little one, your moons are not of pain, Not the product of a mental fight.
But a reminder of the beauty
That lies within the night. 
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Cove Johnson Rabidoux is a 15 year old writer from the United States and editor for the Cathartic Youth Magazine. Her work can be found on Teen Ink, The Teen Magazine, and on her blog titled Blue Pencil Writing. When she is not writing her novel, Cove enjoys reading, traveling, and baking.
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