Less than a mile
from where I sleep, the apartment
he grabbed me in
still sits
with its windows wide open.
The memories
seep out
whenever
the wind blows north.
People walk by all the time,
but no one ever stops and listens.
I used to think I was invincible,
being young will do that to you sometimes.
But after
730 days of degradation
the novelty wore off
like any kind of drug.
When they ask,
“Are you sure that’s what happened?”
I scratch my skin until it bleeds.
My body
is a temple
of buried feelings -
too tense to live in peace,
and yet,
I still exist.
Yesterday I woke up screaming,
“Fuck you!”
to an empty room
and wept.
Emma Rose is a writer and artist based in the Metro Detroit area. She started writing poetry when she was 11-years-old and never stopped. A graduate of Interlochen Art Academy’s creative writing program, her poetry has been featured in Royal Rose Magazine as well as Ghost Heart Literary Journal. To learn more check out her instagram page @art_and_prose_by_emma_rose.