I'm standing right in front of you.
You see my smile and my laugh.
You see what I want you to see.
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
Crouching in the corner.
Shielding my face so you can't see the tears I've cried.
Covered in dark cloth trying to hide the scars.
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
Shedding tears of blood for all the pain I've seen.
Slowly fading away into the abyss.
It's safer there I think.
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
Screaming out "don't leave me alone"
I need you here with me.
Please stay here with me, but you're already gone.
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
Holding the blade so tight to my skin.
Anticipation builds as it finally sinks in.
A slow release.
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
They've pumped me full of drugs "to keep me safe"
They say "you'll be better now"
But they can't see what you did to me.
What they see is not me.
Can you see me?
I've died on the inside.
My body is a shell that keeps breathing.
You took the rest from me
What you see is not me.
Can you see me?
I'm standing right in front of you.
What you see is not me.
Why can't you see me?
I can't see me
- Each year, 1 in 5 females and 1 in 7 males engage in self injury
- 90 percent of people who engage in self harm begin during their teen or pre-adolescent years
- Nearly 50 percent of those who engage in self injury activities have been sexually abused
- Females comprise 60 percent of those who engage in self injurious behavior
- About 50 percent of those who engage in self mutilation begin around age 14 and carry on into their 20s
- Many of those who self injure report learning how to do so from friends or pro self injury websites
- Approximately two million cases are reported annually in the U.S.
