I'm a Big Kid

"I’m a big kid,"

"I can handle it," 

"I’m used to it,”

I’ll pretend for your ignorance 

That I can bare the wounds

That your breath does not 

Make marks on my skin 

As you exit the words, 

I regard myself as empty space 

For him or her to do what he or she pleases 

For him or her to accept me as he or she pleases

To treat me as his or her case study 

I am no one’s case study 

I feel myself plucking at the hair of my identity 

When I surrender to his or her will

What brings me to my feet

Brings me to my knees 

The words I cannot say 

For fear of burns

I am already a lost sheep 

Being branded like cattle