fading through the years
she's five
though she falls, she thrives
her mother says her scars will heal
her falls are no big deal
she's thirteen
her mother tells her she's a beauty queen
the mirror says she's hideous
she's convinced her mother's delirious
she's fifteen
her mother's convinced she's become too lean
grabs excess skin with her fingers
media images acting as triggers
she's seventeen
the cuts on her wrist remain unseen
she uses a blade as a method of escaping
her mother sees her daughter fading
i am almost twenty
though i fall, i do not thrive
my mother said my scars will heal
but they're still there - it's become a grand deal