i always wonder why i gravitate towards bad people

their hurtful words are like melodies to my ears

and my pupils dilate when i see their knuckles coming close to my face

i smile when i’m spitting blood on the cement and feeling my cheek throb

purple has always made my eyes pop

but how could i ever find my way towards something else

when this is all i’ve ever known

all i’ve ever seen in my own home

no one even thought to teach me how to say i love you

instead all i picked up was how to stab and sting with my words

how to bleed through my smiles

violence means comfort to me and pain is normality

because no one, not one person in my life, has ever mentioned that love is not supposed to hurt.