Marred Aftermath

She asked me once,
"When your stomach drops,
does the pain in your head go away?"
I wish I could have said yes;
but the thoughts don't disappear.
They stain your mind in twitching bulges
like the elevated lines under her sleeves.

I realized then that I had never seen her cry,
and I realized how hard she had tried to explain
that it wasn't for them.
It was never for them.

I wanted to tell her that she was beautiful,
but was too afraid.