A young woman stands by a machine
Waiting for the signal from her instructor to start working
As she turns the power to the machine on, she notices the box-cutter knife laying on the table behind her machine
As she feels the vibration of the saw blade moving through the wooden workpiece, she pushes the dangerous thoughts away until they are nothing more than harmless echoes
As the sound of the machine's reciprocation fills her ears, the sound starts to soothe her mind, eases her worries, and calms her to a point within herself that she wishes she could stay at
But again, the thought of the knife flashes through her mind
And again, she focuses on her work
Watching the wire thin saw blade cut through the wood
Feeling pride in cuts that won't leave scars
Cuts that won't leave blood
Cuts that won't disappoint her parents
Cuts that will make something beautiful instead of leaving a spirit broken
She smiles as she cleans up for the day
Feeling the ache in her fingers that means a job well-done
The ache in her fingers that means recovery
The ache that truly means the words "I'll be okay"
