I recall staying out
until the sun broke
over the foothills of
my upstate town,
at the end of a warm night
in the starlit summer.

I remember sneaking back into
the house on tip-toes,
sinking into my bed at
the time my dad
begun to wake for work.

Sometimes, I pine for that time
in teenage life.

I am only twenty-one, and
I breathe my own life
into my lungs
as I wonder where the past has gone.

Don't tell me
what you learned in school
was useless

because
every day
you:

count
the number of likes
you got on your selfie
to figure out the value
of your beauty,

write
perfectly formed tweets
to exude creativity and wit
you wish you
actually possessed,

read
status updates
from former friends
who always seem
to be doing something
exciting,

become curious
about the lives
of people
you've never met,
and

question
why you waste
your time
comparing yourself
to carefully crafted personalities
that exist only
for Internet audiences
they would otherwise
be too afraid
to address.

Don't tell me
what you learned in school
was useless.

Stressed out.
Kids are crying.
Dog is barking
Phone is ringing
Someones at the door
Lawyer is on the phone.
Tv is too loud.
Car won't start
Bike has flat
Husband yelling
Fell and broke my foot.
Tell the doctor i'm stressed out
He yells code blue.
Dam it's quite here in my grave.

Only if you knew,
If you knew how much I want to be friends,
Be friends with that silver beast,
That silver beast tonight,
Tonight just a few slits,
Slits on my wrist,
My wrist, to my thigh,
Just from my thigh to my sides,
On my sides, Up and Down,
From up and down,
To side to side,
Only if you knew,
If you knew how much I want,
I want to be friends,
Be friends with that silver beast tonight,
Tonight is the night just a few slits,
A few slits on my wrist, To my thighs,
From my thighs to my sides...
Only if you knew..