Voiceless

3/13/15

i.

I didn't want to be there,
but calloused feet carried
my wordless body
up courthouse steps
and into eternity.

ii.

I've never understood
my fear of metal detectors,
but that day
I was terrified it would
discover the shrapnel
in my self esteem
and the bombs placed
along my thighs and rib cage.

iii.

Grenades delayed explosions
until after you were gone
and the plea deal was
branded into me,
writing unwanted words
on my once-wordless body;
giving me a voice
I didn't choose to be my own.