NEW POEMS: Broken & Marked

Broken

A Poem by Simon Clark

How dare he touch me!?

How dare he make me do that!?

I said, “No” – I think,

Or did I freeze on the brink of talking?

I said, “No”,

I’m sure I did,

I’m sure I did,

Did I?

I hate my body,

I don’t want to be touched,

I don’t want affection,

I feel soiled and filthy,

Broken. Broken. Broken.

The ground was wet,

The concrete cold,

The trees closed in and people walked by unaware,

I’m angry at my insecurity,

My stupidity,

My inaction,

My stillness,

I could have screamed,

I should have screamed,

Someone might have heard,

Someone might have cared,

Dance on dancing bear,

Dance on dancing bear.

Dance on,

Don’t let them see,

The despair and disgust inside of me.

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Marked

A Poem by Simon Clark

Marked,

His fingerprints still clenched on my arm,

A throbbing in my knees, ,

And a sharp pain at the base of my spine,

Torn inside so nothing feels like mine,

Hey at least the bleeding stopped.

Marked on my skin and marked inside my mind,

Right now it feels as though it’s all there is,

Life has been defined.

© Simon Clark 2022