Why I Wear Long Sleeves by "Eileen" is a heart-wrenching, truthful poem about why people hide their scars under long sleeved shirts. The author describes a person who hides their scars under long sleeves because that person knows that even though people will tell him/her to smile or to stop self-harming, they won't give him/her an actual reason to stop. According to "Eileen", "They'll tell me to smile/But they won't give me any reason to." This relates to how the narrator feels because the narrator feels that if she/he shows them to someone or asks for help, that person won't give them an actual reason to stop self-harming.

     I can relate to this story because I honestly think that self-harming isn't covered much in school and in society, the action of cutting is frowned upon. People think that others self harm for attention, but that's not the case. The narrator isn't showing people his/her scars for attention. In fact, he/she is hiding them so people don't notice them. I think that "Eileen" is a person who understands this topic very much. Whether the poem is from personal experice or not, I think that the author portrayed why people hide their scars very well.