Burning

addiction wonder if people actually do this. maybe cutting is too passe.

I burned myself today
My knuckles red and searing to the cartilage that wither beneath

I burned myself today
My fingers lined with tantalizing scars

I burned myself today
My arms the victim of a blazing pen

I burned myself today
My thighs laced with the trails of fire

I burned myself today
My chest punctured by the roaring heat

I burned myself today
My cheeks cut and cracked by the blistering flame that licked

I burned myself today
My scalp let fall away the burnt strands as their smell drifted around me

I burned myself today
I�ll do it everyday

An escape, a route away from conformity
I stand on the edge of sanity and cackle at its frail grasp

Not bound to the earth, to family, to friends
I place the match upon my palm

My skin writhers and peels
My pain leaks out from beneath my curled skin, escaping like heat in the nipping cold.

The heat lasts for hours, the burn untamable
But like a cut, it will heal

When the world becomes too much for me, I�ll seek release
I�ll turn to heat like one does to a blade, each scar forever

I�ll burn in new places and in old
Burn over burn, scar over scar

I�ll feel the escape, the pain, the ecstasy
And then the skin will re-grow and smooth over, giving a fresh canvas to me

Author's Note

advice, criticism, and all that appreciated and welcomed!!!

Reviews

[Mary]

"writhers"
withers or writhes? either one creates interesting imagery. I'm assuming it's supposed to be withers. other than that, I love it. One of my favorites.

[Life Inside Death]

ive burned myself before
not for emotional release, but for another purpose
and it hurt D=
i dont have an addiction (i hate pain) but you presented this well
its sad how people think hurting themselves can make it all better
maybe they just need someone to talk to..
nice work

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

A well written piece. I agree you packed a hard punch filled with rivoting emotion. A very painful subject to write about. My nephew confided to me not long ago that he cuts himself...though he has not in a while also he was doing hard drugs, which he now is trying to just smoke pot, which isn't really good but he said since my son died, he is trying to stop, his death took a big toll on his life. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[Adam Greenfield]

Wow. Very intense. Personally, I felt the lines "I burned myself today/I'll do it everyday" might serve a better purpose at the very end of the piece but otherwise, there was a great amount of feeling in this, even if it was of a dark subject/nature. I especially like the last lines, comparing healed skin to a canvas. Having been at a point once in my life where that was me, I can relate to this piece. Great expressive write.

[An owl on the moon]

A brilliant depth of pain in this one! I know there are people who burn themselves with cigarettes to find some kind of release. Some can deal more with the physical pain than the psychological... Excellent imagery with a vivid passage!

[L.M. Spurrell]

Interesting approach.... this piece has power, and though slightly abstract, it flows very well. You're a very intuitive creator.

[George Love]

Physical pain vs Emotional pain, the battle behind self-injury to cope with the stress of the current world. Interesting take and descriptoin. Like the style and punch you put into this harsh subject!