Your body is a temple. A blessing. A gift.
Self-harm is a war, and you are worth more than this.
Don’t violate your flesh, and deform your own skin.
It can never resolve the issues you are dealing with within.
You are living in a world that is more connected than ever
So if you have a problem, we can solve it together.
Don’t suffer in silence and say that you have no choice.
A scar sends a message, but it doesn’t rival your voice.
Perhaps you feel like no-one cares. Perhaps you feel alone.
Perhaps you’re going through a tough time, the worst you’ve ever known
But I can tell you with authority, that these feelings won’t last
And one day they’ll just be echoes that you have left in the past.
So don’t create a permanent reminder. Don’t hurt yourself again.
Turn to those you trust and confide in your family and friends.
They don’t want to see you broken, and nor does anyone else
And whilst they can support you, you also need to be kind to yourself.
If you think I am wrong, well that’s your opinion & that’s fine
But I encourage you to think beyond the moment, perhaps years down the line.
If you are feeling tormented now, is that where you want to be stuck
Making your loved ones worry, with strangers giving you pitying looks?
In a critical world, it’s hard to look beyond self-inflicted scars
So why let them tell the story of the person they say you are?
You’re not a walking wound, and weren’t born to be disfigured.
It is so much more than a cut – the whole picture is massively bigger.
If you have children down the line, they might ask for an explanation
To why they are expected to look up to a damaged generation.
And even in the here and now, your peers might be looking at you
And do you honestly want to inspire them to hurt themselves too?
Instead, be the person who says, look at me, I’ve survived.
I don’t seek to harm myself because it’s a privilege to be alive!
I can find better strategies for anything that life chooses to throw my way
But above all else, I bear no scars, and that’s how I am going to stay.
So I speak to you as a mother, and as a virtual friend
Self-harm is an enemy, and I can’t watch you pretend
That it makes things better. It has to end.
Cut it out.
Cut It Out is poem about self-harm.
