All The Things I Never Said: A collection of poems written by TeErica Tatum

Book excerpt: WORDS AND BROKEN BONES They have a saying about sticks and stones and words and bones Something about how they’ll always get thrown but you’ll never let them dictate your self-talk; your tone Your voice booms and occupies the room leaving no space for my inner child to bloom Sucking up all the oxygen, leaving none for me to consume INHALE. 1..2..3 EXHALE… it’s you, not me I’ve puffed my cheeks and spit out defeat eating words so sharp, they cut my teeth slashed my jaw until it was raw You may as well have used a saw Capitalizing on every flaw using my skin to declare your win celebrating my hanging chin How do you heal the wounds you feel How do you soothe the sores you can’t see all the bruises and bumps on my psyche so sticks and stones may break my bones, but it is your words that grind them to dust