behind the fence

their tiny knees pulled to their tiny chests

with cigarettes hanging from pink lips

lay the sad boys

sipping warmth from each other's breath

to melt the cold cutting through their skin

shattered words laced with broken thread

they scrape their hands

until their palms are worn thin

and the wind finds its way in

their hearts rattle behind their rib cages

full of gaping holes

shards of glass scraping at their beaten lungs

they grab at their gaunt cheeks

and rake their nails over their necks

hiding behind their shadows

and pinching their thighs

they drown themselves in pills and bruises

kiss until they can't speak

they swallow all their knives

until the stars fall from the sky

and flood their eyes

because boys are strong

boys, they don't cry

they scream at the world

and hold themselves

their skin is flushed, but their hands won't still

they sleep in the snow, and their feet are cold

but they won't say so

their words have burned sour

in their bitter throats

they chase rough voices from their tongues

even once they've shrunk so small

that they're skin is too big

and they're choking behind their walls

behind the fence

their tiny knees and their tiny chests

the color falling from their hands

the cold scrapes at them until they're blue

and their breath no longer has any warmth