A student opens their locker area and finds cruel words written there in black marker. The speaker is a victim of bullying, and the poem follows how a single act of vandalism turns into something much bigger. At first the marker is just ink on metal, but the speaker quickly says it isn't "just on the locker." The insults sink in and feel written "across my heart," as lasting as the ink itself.
The speaker feels hurt, trapped, and worn down. The line "Everyday that passes by" suggests this happens again and again, and the marker seems to "taunt" them, as if it has a voice. The mood is heavy and bleak. Repeating "permanent," "always," and "forever" makes the pain feel like it has no end, and the "cold stone hallways" make school seem unwelcoming and lonely. Ending on the words "Permanent Marker" leaves the reader with the same stuck feeling.