Swimming without assistance,
Progressing - stroke by stoke.

Gently moving along the surface,
Barely scratching the depths.

Stroke by stroke, I become stronger and more confident.
Stroke by stroke, I pound and penetrate the water.
Stroke by stroke, I overcome my previous position.

Each stroke like torture
Ripping myself out and falling back in,
Allowing the water to take a hold of me once again.

The water symbolised my struggles and insecurities.
A never-ending and already lost war,
I was battered, stroke by stroke.

Suicidal Thoughts
by Shani Jonas

I paint a pretty picture
on the base of my wrist
with my razor and some red liquid
and my hand clenched into a fist

I do one stroke for everything thing I hate
everything that gets me down
I do a stroke for everything that turns my ugly smile
into an even uglier frown

I do one stroke for promises
that are very often broken
There is one stroke for love not returned
When someone throws away your kind token

another stroke goes on my wrist
for all the unfairness in this time
things go good for a second
and go bad for months at a time

A stroke for all the people I can’t stand
a stroke for all the harm done
a stroke for all stupidity in the world
a stroke for all the guns

that **** all those innocent people
I use this razor to show the things that I hide inside
one more stroke and I’m dead...
*A stroke for committing suicid--