I taped the pages back together

But their wounds will never heal

Read the words that span their surface

But never will they feel

I asked them humbly to be joyous

For they were no longer in pieces

But they choked on broken words

And they gagged along the creases

Now their naked skin is bleeding

Struggles deeper than their words

Their screams muffled by my own

When I tore them into thirds

Poured my heart onto those pages

More literally than expected

Used my blood as ink to stain a story

Regardless: we're neglected