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The Protector
By Jennifer Marshall
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About 17% of college students - 20% of women and 14% of men - report that they have cut, burned, carved or harmed themselves in other ways, reports a new survey by Cornell and Princeton University researchers. Young women often keep pain inside, instead of expressing their anger and stress. In her poetry, Youth Radio's Jennifer Marshall braves her story of looking after her mother and sister. Jennifer shares what happened when the pressure of taking care of her family became too much.
The young Protector
Her body so young but look into her eyes
You'll see a soul that is so sad and wise
Come too close and she'll scream and shout
Only because she doesn't want you to figure her out
To find that each day she is wearing a mask
That she's so hurt inside but so afraid to ask
After all she's the protector of her mom and kin
How could she trust anyone and let them in?
Show them her world of broken promises,
Of long nights alone and days that make no sense
She'd hold her mom and listen all night
While her mom spoke of the last late night fright
She'd fight for her sister, who was older but so much younger
And every night she thought she'd die of hunger
She'd watch over the house as everyone would sleep
And then she'd stay up till morning and fix everyone something to eat
At school she'd be to tired to even try to study
And she was alienated and had no best buddy
But never a word of complaint left her mouth
She was always too afraid that everything would fall out
Of the imperfect perfection that made up her life
Until one day she was cut by a knife
People came in and took her away
From the family she'd try to protect day after day
Now everything’s fallen and the Protector feels shamed
Because she left she feels she's the one to blame
She's now all alone and doesn't know what to do
Because when you're a young Protector
There's no one to protect you...
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