Daniel Saint

When I was 5 My Mother gave me a dollar So I would stop biting my nails. I handed it to the lady at the counter with sore red fingertips, Innocently sucking on a popsicle I wasn’t even hungry for.

Now, I am 20 With short fingernails and stubby hands

That constantly tap on my phone screen. That clench onto beer bottles. That slam shot glasses back onto tables. That delicately pinch on cigarettes. That explore my own body parts. That explore some boys’ body parts, Body parts I’m not even hungry for.

“Not all toxic people are cruel and uncaring. Some of them love us dearly. Many of them have good intentions. Most are toxic to our being simply because their needs and way of existing in the world force us to compromise ourselves and our happiness. They aren’t inherently bad people, but they aren’t the right people for us. And as hard as it is, we have to let them go. Life is hard enough without being around people who bring you down, and as much as you care, you can’t destroy yourself for the sake of someone else. You have to make your wellbeing a priority. Whether that means breaking up with someone you care about, loving a family member from a distance, letting go of a friend, or removing yourself from a situation that feels painful – you have every right to leave and create a safer space for yourself.”

— Daniell Koepke