I bite the acrylics on my nails
until I hate myself
because it hurts
and my mom will yell at me
for wasting her money and my time
I take the polish off
because I’m sick of failure
soaking and scrubbing
until everything I touch tastes like acetone
my mom tells me not to pick at my skin
now that nothing is standing in between
to stop me
but I still pick and it still hurts
and I bleed
my brother looks at my thumbs
disappointed and asks me
to stop before I become him
my gaze falls on the scars
worn by his nubbed and naked fingers
I don’t tell him that he’s all I’ve ever wanted to be
Kendall Towbin is a junior in high school whose original musical Dream of Me for which she wrote the script, lyrics, and music, was recently performed at the NBPS Blackbox Theatre. Her first poetry book Letters to a Beautiful Stranger was published last year and can be bought on Amazon. Her next poetry book Inner Monologue is in the works and will be available by 2026. Kendall’s poems “Misplaced Affection” and “Aftertaste” are included in collections by Poetry Nation and The America Library of
Poetry respectively. Her writing means every to Kendall and she is overjoyed to share it with you.
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