A child starves
Thin little arms
And they say
Not my problem.

A black man dies
Fear in his eyes
And they say
Not my problem.

A woman is terrified
To walk down the street at night
And they say
Not
my
problem.

I don’t understand it
How blind can you be?
Even though it’s hidden
It’s still a reality.

We have to educate
Only then can we celebrate
The destruction of hate
and the changing of our fate.

Our world won’t be successful
‘Til all that’s bad is gone
In the meantime, we’re regretful
No one knows what’s going on.

Sour.
Bitter.
Bright.
The sky before the night.
The leaves in the fall.
The rhythmically bouncing basketball
The poet’s nightmare.
The fire’s glare
The bottle of prescription pills
The pumpkins on our porch, still.

It's the color of his eyes that take you in,
He approaches you with a grin.

The color of the décor on your first date
You smile and laugh, then look away.

It’s the color of the water when you go out on a boat
You shiver, and so he gives you his coat.

The color of broken glass from your first fight
The sky is foreboding as you run into the night.

The color of the flowers he brings to apologize.
The sheer sincerity you see in his eyes.

It’s the sky’s bright hue as you lie on the hill.
Wishing you could stay here, and keep it still.

The sapphire necklace he gave to you
You were wary, it didn't look new

The color of his shirt when you said those 3 words
And the only reply was the chirping of the birds

The color in your heart when he started to fade
When you realized you were with a grenade

The color of her dress as it lay on the floor
You take a step back and slam the door.

The color of the guilt he claims to have
But you know you can’t buy that

Now was the time, you finally understood
It’s the color of your tears as you leave for good.

I Run my fingers through my hair
Try to shake that piercing stare
I step up, take a deep breath
I’m so close, I’m scared to death.

I bounce the ball
Now, I can’t afford to fall
This is the deciding shot
****. My face feels hot

53-53
Everyone is watching me
The other team screamed and yelled
If I miss, I’ll go through hell

I spin the ball, get in my stance
Then i let it leave my hands
It soars up in a graceful arc
I’m relieved as it hits its mark

The clock runs out
I hear people shout
We won, we’re moving on

Finally my fear was gone.

Do you ever think of me
Or what happened last November
Do you think of us, at least?
I doubt you still remember

Our secrets, our laughs.
Our blogging, our chats.
About how musicians took our breath away
and how you’d be one someday.

I remember how you’d sing
Serenade me just for fun
But the lyrics, they meant nothing
Significance? To you there was none.

I remember how you hurt me
Toyed around with my heart
You made me feel like a nobody.
Now this was the hard part.

I remember all this *******
Even though its been a year
Do you think of me like this?
The answer is what I fear.

I doubt you ever think of me
Or the promise that you made
I wish you’d think of us, at least.
And what caused us to fade.

It’s been a month
Hell, almost two
And yet still I don’t know
Can I forgive you?

You meant a lot to me
Though it hurts to admit
It bothers me how
You don’t give a ****

I’ve tried to move on
I’ve tried to be strong.
I’ve tried to forget
But I think that me is gone

If you told me last year
A guy would break my heart
I’d just laugh at you and say
Well, a guy would have to LIKE me for a start

Because of you I’ve had a lot of firsts
First boyfriend First attempt to flirt
But also first heartache
And first time getting badly hurt.

Whatever happens is for the best
It’s good to get hurt I guess
It reminds you that life aint a fairytale
To find happiness or success, you have to fail.

My hands ball into fists
I can’t handle this
My face is red
i have to clear out my head

I hate it
I feel like ****
Every day I spiral down
While my friends don’t even frown

I’m so sick of it all.
Why can’t I just fall
To the Floor?
i can’t take it anymore.

You know what? I’m done.
I hope you had your fun.
Since I don’t have a gun,
i guess I’ll just have to run.

People rush by
Bumping others harshly
Never stop to apologize
They get on with their lives

The scene keeps changing
No one ever staying
They have places to go
They’re busy, you know?

It’s ironic I think
There’s such a big crowd
Yet I’m on the brink
Of screaming aloud.

There’s something I don’t get
I’m here on my own
If people surround me
Why do I feel so alone?

What is it?
Is it, being stunning, without a single flaw?
having a perfect figure, a well-defined jaw?
Is it shutting in your emotions and keeping composure?
Perhaps being ******* clad, with indecent exposure.

No.
Beauty is none of the above

It is acceptance, and self love
Not listening to others who try to bring you down
Shrugging off the haters without so much as a frown.

Beauty is a smile, a confident walk
Not listening to when the naysayers talk
No one else can define what is true
Beauty is simply being you

I gather up the courage to ask you
What’s been boiling in my mind.
I steel myself and type those words
To click send took a lot of time.
I’m okay.  I’m okay.

I was hoping for confirmation
Some comforting explanation.
Instead, I got a dose of reality
The truth never works out for me.
I’m okay.  I’m okay.

Tuesday morning, I woke up.
I just lay in my bed.
I thought about last night
Played it back through my head
I’m okay.  I’m okay.

I stepped into the shower, my sniffles faint
My resolve crumbles and so do I.
At last, I’m free of restraints.
On the shower floor, where I can cry.
I’m okay.  I’m okay.

At school, I’m slow, unresponsive
Some notice, they ask me if I’m good.
Obviously, I lack my normal grin.
To strangers, I’m just “misunderstood”
I’m okay.  I’m okay.

I get home, log back on.
I’m sorry.
I thought my tears were gone.
I log out.  Close my laptop.
Me too.
I’m still okay.  I’m still okay.

Later, when I come back online
I happen to see a certain post on your wall
I thought I was fine.
But as it turns out
*I’m not okay at all.

Whenever I have a bad day
Or things just don’t go my way
I pop in my earphones
And listen to the soothing notes
They take me away, to the land of my dreams
Where I can lay in peace, and escape reality.
All my burdens just magically disappear.
For a while, nothing in life is queer.
It’s just me, my thoughts, and the music.

When life was hard, when I was hurt
When I had nowhere else to turn
Music was always there, with a welcoming smile
Ready to comfort me, and take me away for a while.
I got lost in the world that fills me with glee
I got lost in the world where notes are plenty.
Where it’s just me, my thoughts, and the music.

Music is the perfect key
To the door between dreams and reality
It ebbs and flows in just the right way
To create a beautiful dancing ballet.
From me, my thoughts, and the music.

My music is my own.
The one place where I have no clone
The one thing that makes me different from all of you.
No one else controls what I listen to.
There is no one that I’ll have to face
When I’m in my safe little place.
The place where it’s just me, my thoughts, and the music.

My eyes dance across the pages
The words take me through the ages
To different worlds, places unknown
Where I wouldn’t dare to enter alone.

To some, reading is a chore
When asked to read, they reply “it’s a bore”
But they don’t know the true joys
Of a story about wizards, or one of little boys

The best books are the ones that pull you in
Make you a part of them, cause you to grin
There are also amazing books make you cry
You sit there, staring at the book as tears flow from your eyes

Books are reliable, always waiting to be read
Never needing to be charged, never going to be “dead”
Behind every cover is a story waiting to be told
Once you open a good book, let the memories unfold!

I’m not important
Not special in any way
Would things be different
If I disappeared today?

Don’t tell me they would be.
My friends would move on.
No one would miss me
for all that long.

My parents call me amazing
They say I’ll change the world.
I know they’re mistaken.
I’m just an average girl.

To people at school,
I’m the girl that’s always happy.
I don’t think they realize
That even my life is ******.