Not even 18

She told me to sleep on the streets

“time to be an adult”

Jobs and school are not cool

Dreams and ambitious cannot take flight

But there’s no point in a fight

So I try with all my might

Sleeping on the steps

Working 8 hours shifts

School is a gift

No time to drift

Not even 18

Yet I’ve aged far beyond my years
all in one night.

Masks

they help us hide

from who we are

behind a curtain

dancing silhouettes

they’ll never know

puppets on strings

acting how we should

we spend so much time hiding

when the mask is removed

we  won’t recognize ourselves

we don’t even know who we’re hiding

scared to know what’s within

This is the only way I have to fight back.
Words on a page.
A voice that resonates.
It's not much,
But it will have to do for now.