There's this pressure in my lungs
that keeps building and building,
making it harder to breathe,
so hard that I'm afraid my lungs
are going to burst like a balloon,
because it never gets better,
because you never stop pushing me.
I'm on the edge of a cliff about to fall,
yet you think you know what's best for me,
I'm getting tired of it all.
Maybe I should jump
before you push me too far,
because I'll never meet your expectations
when all you do is raise the bar,
because all you want is more and more,
and this pressure keeps on building and building,
making it harder to breathe.

This is a poem
for every breathing soul,
for those who have been beaten down,
for those whose names have been taken away.
This is a poem
for those who scream but are not heard,
for those who are treated like dirt,
for those who just want to belong.
This is a poem
for the broken hearted,
for those who wake up in an empty bed,
for those who have made mistakes.
Yes, this is a poem
for every breathing soul,
for everyone who has ever felt anything,
for humanity as a whole.

My voice was stolen today
from those who suppress me,
who cut me down
and treat me like I'm a ghost
when in reality I'm
the only one who realizes
that the world is changing
and I shouldn't be afraid
to change along with it,
that it's okay to be different,
that love is love
and there's nothing to be ashamed of.
So for everyone whose voice was stolen today,
join with me in creating a new world
where we can all be equally unique<3

When I walk into a room
I always scan the sea before me,
helplessly hoping that
one of them is you.
Sometimes I see someone with your brown hair
or twinkling, turquoise eyes
and your name leaps off my tongue
like a freestyle diver,
only to leave me feeling lonely
because they're just another person
who isn't you.

She was the melody,
the song my heart
has always been searching for,
the beat that could always make me
stand up and dance,
and just like the song
I can't get stuck out of my head,
I will never forget you,
even after the last chord strikes
and my head hangs heavy.

Watching the world go by
with tears in my eyes,
oh, how fast time flies
when you're sitting on the sidelines.
Lately I haven't been living at all,
and though I may seem small
in the world's grand view,
I'm only being put down by you,
the one who puts me in chains,
the only one to blame,
you think this is all a game
when all I've ever wanted was my own name.
No, I'll never be ashamed
to not want to be cut down by the knife,
it should be my God-given right
to live my own life!

She plays with her food,
pushing it around on the plate,
watching the vegetables roll
and the chicken broth drip,
the aroma is mouthwatering.
She tries not to make eye contact with her food
so not to think of the tender juiciness
the chicken would bring,
soon to explode on her tongue,
the crisp crunch the vegetables
will make when they touch her teeth.
She can feel the hunger growing inside her,
an angry beast trying to claw its way out
that she's suppressed for far too long.
She wonders if eating is worth the risk
as she looks down and observes each
part of her frame that isn't ramrod straight,
remembering that she'll never be good enough for anyone,
not even herself.
Dropping her fork as if it were a worm,
she tried not to give eye contact
to the dismantled family sitting at the dismantled table.
"May I be excused?"