Game Of Chance

14-24% of teens report harming themselves at least once

Little razor
Your bite
It stings
Taking all this pain  from me
One single slit
A gash like the rest
Taking the past
And overcoming it
Easily processed
My pain is replace
Nothing can hurt me
You keep me in this race.
*
Rubber band
On my wrist
You love to sit
every time I hurt
You make quick work of it
Popping you once
Makes it go away
With this pain
My mind cannot stray.
*
One simple scratch
Even with my nails
Makes it okay
Not leaving a mark
I like it this way
You call me insane
I just redirect my pain
Easier contained
It has to be this way
*
Pulling out my hair
Funny who’s to blame
Never once thought
I would enjoy the pain
Tying it back
So I can’t get caught
Easily hidden
Who would have thought
*
Lighter in my hand
Its okay
I have a plan
Burn the flame
Until the metal is hot
Pushing it in
My flesh will rot
This is for you
Who never gave me the time of day
I was to foolish
You pushed me away
*
Sympathizing your plight
I understand your pain
It’s never to late
To turn the pain away
A simple tear
Will undue all your years
Hiding away
Afraid to stray
*
You are beautiful
In your own unique way
Who’s to say you are different
You handle it a simple way
Masking you emotions
With pain you place outside
You are loved
Don’t run away from life
*
One simple mistake
A wrong flick of your wrist
Will slash you vein
I’m sure of it
Give it up
Your just buying time.
Running away
With nowhere to hide.
This is it
Take control of your life.

Author's Note

Self-harm (SH) or deliberate self-harm (DSH) includes self-injury (SI) and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue without suicidal intent. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology. The older literature, especially that which predates the DSM-IV-TR, almost exclusively refers to self-mutilation. The term is synonymous with "self-injury."[1][2][3] The most common form of self-harm is skin-cutting but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviours including, but not limited to, burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing, hair-pulling (trichotillomania) and the ingestion of toxic substances or objects.[2][4][5] Behaviours associated with substance abuse and eating disorders are usually not considered self-harm because the resulting tissue damage is ordinarily an unintentional side effect.[6] However, the boundaries are not always clear-cut and in some cases behaviours that usually fall outside the boundaries of self-harm may indeed represent self-harm if performed with explicit intent to cause tissue damage.[6] Although suicide is not the intention of self-harm, the relationship between self-harm and suicide is complex, as self-harming behaviour may be potentially life-threatening.[7] There is also an increased risk of suicide in individuals who self-harm[4][8] to the extent that self-harm is found in 40–60% of suicides.[9] However, generalising self-harmers to be suicidal is, in the majority of cases, inaccurate.[10][11]

Reviews

[Fabric Pulse]

True.

[Katub]

perfect

[.......]

sad write, but written

[Lily Mae]

I deal with so many in my line of work...it breaks your heart. It always boils down to self love and self worth.. Thank you for all your poems that help people become more aware...xx

[Kayla K]

The beginning stanzas made me cringe, but I think that's good, because sometimes a poem has to be harsh to get the point across. The last three stanzas ended up balancing it out though, being inspiring words. I wish I had read a poem like this a long time ago, that's for sure. I think it's something that could definitely change somebody's mind about this type of thing. You wrote this so well, describing perfectly the thoughts that go through the heads of people who self harm. This is going into my favorites. Wow, some of you guys need to stop writing so well! My favorites list is getting longer and longer every single day I come on here. Ha, but that's a good thing. There's great writers on here that write about some serious topics. Keep writing, Ali. Your poems mean a lot to me, every single one of them. I try to read as many as I can, because I never know which one will touch my heart so greatly and impact me.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

This is something I have never known first hand, but my heart cries for those who are caught in the web of this pain. You have penned this well.

[HopelesslyDevoted]

sad but very good write

[RedInk524]

Ouch, kinda made me cringe thinking about someone close to me who used to burn herself.... Good poem.