The words tattooed on Brontë Schmit’s rib cage are more than just lines from a poem. They represent years of suffering and her decision to put an end to it.

The poem, written by Sierra DeMulder, is about victims of abuse. After being physically and emotionally abused by her father for most of her life, Schmit said the poem is an accurate and concise depiction of what it’s like to be a victim. The poem reads:

“I loved you head over handles

like my first bicycle accident —

before the mouthful of gravel and blood,

I swore we were flying.”

“I am able to express myself better through other people’s words,” Schmit said. “This poem was just something that had really resonated with me.”

Schmit’s parents divorced when she was 2 years old, and she would see her father three times a week throughout her elementary school years.

Because her father was a doctor, a lot of her time was spent with him at the hospital where he worked.

“It’s weird to see someone who is so in touch with humans and healing people be abusive,” Schmit said.

Schmit recalled one time when she was 12 years old — things escalated to a point where she locked herself in a room and called her mother to come get her. She didn’t see her father for six months after the incident.

Schmit describes her current relationship with her father as minimal and manipulative. She said she has come to terms with his abuse, and now understands that it was not her fault. At home in Los Angeles, Schmit lives 20 minutes away from her father but has not seen him in five years.

“The hardest part is when he’ll call and try and make me feel guilty for leaving my two little sisters behind,” Schmit said. “I wish I could be there to protect them.”

The birds surrounding the tattoo symbolize her escape from the abuse and her efforts to make the best out of her situation.

“You just have to keep living your life,” Schmit said. “This was one of the things that motivated me to succeed the most.”

Published on November 11, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Gigi: gantonel@syr.edu