notice how their clothes are growing, living out new dreams
ready to be a part of something bigger,
no longer attached to dead weight.
watch their skeleton collapse from
neutering their ambitions

ask, "are you okay?"
don't listen for the answer
stare past them at the wall
wonder what's for dinner
teen depression is a myth, anyway.

give a sympathetic smile
"i've been blue before, too."
no worries, they're probably just tired
probably just hungry
probably just bored

tell them to get a good night's sleep
and eat a hearty breakfast
so they don't become one of those poster children,
a beautiful soul "gone too soon"
that'll fix it.