Elikem’s Corner, a series of poems from our Editor-In-Chief, Elikem Thee Poet. These poems give insight to a piece of her world; her own lived experiences and the experiences of people around her.
CW: self-harm
When you don’t have a voice, you’ve got to scream somehow
And I’ve spent these 20 odd years trying to figure out how to scream
Trying to figure out how to breathe
Trying to figure out how to simply exist in this world
Trying to find my voice so I don’t have to scream
Yet, nothing ever seems to work
My screams have manifested themselves in various forms
The cuts on my tongue and the self-inflicted concussions
The random bruises and skipped meals
The scratches all over my skin and 30-hour naps
The slurred words and blackouts
Despite it all,
you never heard me
No one ever did
