I’ve never known anything as vicious

As my own brain.

It loves to cause me misery

Anxiety and pain.

From perfectionism to eating disorders

To depression and panic attacks

I think my brain is broken

But no one can see the cracks.

There’s nothing I can do

And no help or mercy for me.

I’m stuck with it as long as I live.

It’s a cage and I’ll never be free.

My biggest enemy will always be

The person in the mirror staring back at me.

No one can ever be as cruel to me

As I can be.

---

Dana Gricken (she/her) is a multi-genre author from Ottawa, Canada, published by Melange Books, Evernight Teen, Bella Books, and Oliver-Heber Books, among different anthologies. In 2019, she was hand picked out of thousands of entrants to win a writing scholarship from actor and director Kevin Smith.

Twitter: @DanaGricken
Instagram: @DanaGricken
Bluesky: @danagricken.bsky.social
Website: danagricken.com