I have always found poetry stupid
I thought that poetry was only for the classics
And the only good ones needed a deep
Impossible to understand
Meaning
But I do not wish for those
People should read poetry because it makes them feel less alone
People should read poetry because they want to feel something
Not because they feel like analyzing every word
Not because they want to sit there
Confused and straining
Against scribbles on a screen or paper
If I felt alone
I wouldn't want to struggle
I'd want to read words that I know the meaning of
So maybe poetry
Isn't as hard as people think

Mental health is a trend
Monetized by every media
It is no surprise
That people are so open
And I see it
The repetition of the words
Mental health
Mental health
Mental health
Each one a dollar
Because “raising awareness”
Isn’t the same as being vulnerable
Because saying that you are exhausted
Isn’t the same when millions of people call you brave and beautiful
It doesn’t seem like it could be the same
I honestly wouldn't know
But it seems like it
When you have a million people there
Saying you are
Beautiful
Strong
Brave
Amazing
An inspiration
It must make a small difference
Even if slightly
I’d do anything to feel supported
From thousands of people
To feel like there are people that love me unconditionally
You do not walk a lonely path
If every time you say the words
You gain
If anything
You walk a green path
Because vulnerability is a trend
And it is sweetened and morphed
Into sweet, green rectangles

As Fish swam
It met a strange piece of plastic
Afloat above the surface
That seemed to curve slightly beneath the water
Fish swam to it
Despite the fear
And the piece of plastic didn’t move
So Fish became intrigued
And it swam to its center
Poking at it with its flat eyes
Days went on
And Fish rested with the plastic
Feeling at peace with it
And so it became Plastic
And Fish stayed friendly with Plastic
No matter how much bigger or different it was
Fish spoke to Plastic nonetheless
It felt dependent on it
It felt comfortable and happy
Something that Fish had not felt from its cold lake surrounding it
Until
One fatal day
Plastic dashed
Almost parting the water of the lake
Too fast for Fish to swim after it
And as it went to catch its friend
Fish started to feel things it had felt before
And it felt betrayed
Alone
As if it had wasted time
On a simple piece of plastic
So it swam until it couldn’t anymore for Plastic
And soon stopped and tried to forget about Plastic
Fish finally went back home
Lonesome days went by
Fish went on with its life
Struggling to feel content with what it was doing
On its own
Until one fatal day
Fish left its home
And saw a piece of plastic
The same piece of plastic it remembered
But it was a little different
With more scratches and some seaweed attached to it
So now Fish swam towards Plastic excitedly
And swam to the surface when it reached Plastic
And looked above the water
And saw that Plastic had long sails
Ropes attached
And it looked so slick and modern
It was massive too
Fish swam back down
It saw so much more of Plastic
So much more than Fish had never imagined
Which set them apart even more
Which made them so much more different
So Fish never went close to Plastic again
It still felt betrayal
Even more afraid now
And remembered the days that followed Plastic's sudden leave
Like a sharp knife to its tiny, beating heart
Because Plastic grew up and different
And Plastic reminded Fish of many things
Like misunderstanding
Like disappointment
And it didn’t want to feel like that ever again
So it never went close to Plastic again
It never left again
But it felt... distant
And it was painful to wonder what Plastic and Fish could have done together
And so Fish tried once more
And Plastic seemed pleased
For it did not move
And so Fish tried once more
And this time it felt something
A strange tension between the two
But then
That night
In confusion of whether the feeling was good or not
Fish remembered how much it hurt
To be left by Plastic
To be alone again
So suddenly
And it felt afraid that Plastic might not be as happy to be around Fish as Fish was to be around Plastic
And now Fish waits for Plastic to see through the litter in the lake
And finally dash for Fish