i want to be noticed
by a stranger with tender eyes

i want to be seen, biting my lip
or pushing my glasses
up the bridge of my nose

i want to be thought of days later
wondered about who i am
and what i hold dear

i want to be noticed
as much as i notice

because i see them
and they see me

to them,
i am just another face
but to me,
they are a mysterious masterpiece

some are hidden
by long sleeves
and baggy sweatshirts,
behind bloodshot eyes
and stale breath
written in light graphite
on crinkled sheets
in shoeboxes,
therapy sessions
and 2am text messages

i look at you
and i can see it
in your face
you think you hide it,
but i see you

i see the hurt
the dark circles beneath your eyes
and the quiet plea
dancing on your bottom lip,
too afraid to be voiced
too afraid to be heard
because you’re too afraid
of being hurt

and i just want to take you
and wrap you up in my arms
hold you, console you
tell you things that you’ll believe,
but you don’t seem to believe
anything, anymore
because you have been deceived
too many times

so i’ll just look at you
and see the pain in your fake smile,
and i’ll smile back

and i’ll hear the attempted deception
when you tell me that you’re just tired,
and i’ll say me too

i know you’re broken inside

violets are blue,
and so are you

i love your laugh
all your little quirks
the cute nicknames you’ve given me
and our late night confessions

but i don’t want to

because one moment
i feel euphoric
and the next
i don’t even know
who you are

you are not my sunrise
or my brisk winter day

this constant turmoil
of zeal and distain
is too much for me to bear

sticks and stones
may break my bones,
but you will always
hurt the most