Daniela Oana - Poet and Photographer

Poem found in the anthology Word Fest - Celebrating our Journeys, available on Amazon.

 

The Mentor 

 

You read the lines   
I cut to feel better
off on their flight
as you also read
those my knife etched

on both forearms

and you deem them all

Cliché, last class

 

I left more room
on my upturned wrists

knowing you could kill

making it quick

just an overnighter
 

You criticized and crossed

all the extra words

I swallowed whole

force-fed to choke
on my own damn pain

that I worked on

to make matters better
 

You made a poem

painting my dread
superbly written
with your skillsets

I couldn’t afford
and you called it

The Mentor.