I knew pain from a young age
That time I fell off the monkey bars
Got the wind knocked out of me
Twisted my insides
Other kids didn't know why
I didn't cry
Or what it was like
Going home to my stepfather
In the closet I would hide
Spend hours in the there
Closing my eyes and ears
So I didn't have to hear him scream
And slap my mom or me
She'd find me and ask
What I was doing in there
As if nothing happened
Like I shouldn't have been scared
I'll never forget the night
I woke up to another fight
This time with a knife to her throat
Watching her choke
That time my best friend was over
We were watching Pinocchio
Then I found her curled up in ball
Waiting by the door
She wasn't allowed to come over anymore
I didn't understand why
Or what normal was like
I learned as a child
To play pretend
Keep my mouth closed
It's better to let them
My mother asks why
I keep letting people spit in my face
As if she wasn't the one
To put me in that place