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Shannon Burke Poem
I wish I was untouched.
Clean, void of all the hands that have ever touched me.
Clear of the scars across my body, blemishes on my skin.
Cleansed of his touch, deep inside of me.
I shudder when I hear that word... 'rape'.
I suddenly become another statistic, another sad story, another lesson to learn from.
I should have been more careful, said something sooner, because apparently, when you're sexually assaulted, there's no excuse.
You should have been more aware of your surroundings, told an adult, never mind the fact that you were only nine, you should have done SOMETHING.
But I didn't.
I couldn't.
Because most nights my mom was too drunk to comprehend what she was doing.
Because most nights, I was too afraid of what he might do to even leave my room.
And because most nights, I hoped that it would stop. The next time. Or the next time. Or the next time.
And now?
I still wish it would stop.
The nightmares.
The flashbacks.
My breath.
My life...
Copyright © Shannon Burke | Year Posted 2016
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Shannon Burke Poem
You are a sunset, bright colors,
and the smell after rain.
You are a calm lake, barely a ripple to be seen.
You are mountains, and valleys,
and clear skies.
You are better days.
You are love.
I am cigarette smoke
and a wild fire.
I am broken blades, and crushed up pills,
I am torn skin, scars, dried blood.
I am blue lips, cold skin.
I am the color gray, void of any emotion
except pain.
I am sadness.
Copyright © Shannon Burke | Year Posted 2016
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Shannon Burke Poem
Heartbreak is such a funny expression.
Because, the heart doesn't really break, does it?
It's more of a heavy drop in your stomach, a shaking body, intense sadness overwhelming you.
It's a sickening feeling, knowing that you've done all you could, and that person still didn't love you as much as you loved them.
And that's what sucks the most.
You can't gauge how much someone loves you. All you can do is give them your all, and hope they do the same.
So no, I don't really think it should be called 'heartbreak'.
It should be called sadness.
It should be called carelessness.
It should be called a lie.
Anything but heartbreak...
Because that suggests that I was too stupid to hand you all of my heart, and you were too careless to take care of it.
Copyright © Shannon Burke | Year Posted 2016
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Shannon Burke Poem
I was the first addiction you had.
You craved me, needed me.
Every second, every day.
One day I wasn't enough.
You didn't get the same high anymore.
You needed me less and less.
Started experimenting.
Then one day, you said you didn't need me anymore.
I wasn't as strong as the others.
I was holding you down.
I demanded too much attention.
I was a cigarette, something you needed everyday.
But that was too much.
But her, oh no. She was heroin.
Strong enough to not need every day. But also enough to keep you coming back for more.
Copyright © Shannon Burke | Year Posted 2016
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