I am not the Monster You See!

Am I really that much different than you?
I do not speak of how it is we look.
I see the same as you see,
I hear the same as you hear,
I feel things just as you do,
And I hurt, just as you hurt!
So why is it you look at me as someone
Who would clearly stand out in a crowd?
Just because we differ in the way we deal with life!
You shout, you scream and you cry when you need to let your angers out!
You can speak of what it is that makes you hurt inside!
But you see I cannot bring myself to be so open,
I cannot express myself in the ways in which you do;
I don’t know how to release my hurt and fears through words!
To me my problems are my own,
And no others should be burdened with my faults!
Therefore when I hurt, when I have angers unreleased
I know only of one way to deal with the problem faced!
And it is this that makes you look at me in that way!
You see only the blood and scars, the physical pains,
And in your eyes I am just a monster of sorts!
But these scars upon my arms do not mark me as inhuman;
I’m not asking for you to understand or accept what it is I do,
All I am asking is for you to take the time
Even just one minute,
To stop and realize I am a person just like you!
Please try and see that I am not the monster you imagine I am in your mind!!