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Casey Jan 2019
My turn to go up next.
The teacher glances toward me and nods.
I grab my instrument and walk to the front of the room.
A chair and stand awaits me.
I set the sheet music on the stand and take a seat.
"Whenever you're ready," he says.

I lift the french horn to my face and pause.
I remember the people before me who went,
eyes full of fear.
Hoping with every ounce of their soul
that they won't mess up.
My chest constricts tightly.
I struggle to take a breath, then begin.

The first note is perfectly on pitch.
So far, so good.
The phrase flows smoothly.
The piece goes well,
until I take a risky glance around the classroom.

A knot forms in my stomach.
Everyone is looking at ME.
Expecting ME to do well.
My fingers fumble as I miss a note.
I panic and rush the rhythms,
not caring if I miss the pitch.
I just want this TORTURE to be over.

Their gazes are icy.
The piece ends and I swiftly let my instrument down.
I hang my head low.
The ones before me look grim.
Surely I had disappointed them

The director says nothing.
The silence is KILLING me.
I feel my face flushing red.
The room is getting warmer.
"Next?" He asks, prying that I should take my spot.
I get up and take my things,
then do exactly that.

The next person plays perfectly.
I applaud with tear-stained hands.
They are praised well as they walk to their seat,
beaming in glory.

Who am I to pretend
that I understand this madness
called success?
Playing your solo for the class is never fun.
kay Jan 2019
i know
today might be rough
piles of paperworks
it's raining hard outside
low battery
missed the bus
and many more
but even in this chaotic day you're facing
don't ever forget
to give thanks,
because out there
in the other side of this town
tons of people suffered
hundred times worse than us.
v Jan 2019
Because blue blood runs dry
her lips were ugly words.

Because
I envisioned my body splayed on pavement,
Life leaving slowly,
skulls shattered on doorframes
A non-existent lust for life you promised to nurture

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano
Boys sanity in corporate security
Because his hands followed me down every hallway,
Through every lesson
Every no turned to yes turned to quietness.
all I ever learned was to be quiet.

It’s why so many combust
high - among the stars
Pressure compacted and shot into darkness
By the sound mind
The sound body
The sound of a body hitting the ground
The sound of my body hitting tile
Your hands grasping my skull.
Crossbow Jan 2019
A confusion, a haunting sense
Of emptiness, an absence
Of light, while darkness
Consumes me. A flailing mess
As panic overrides my
rationale, my fear gathers
In folds and puddles, stacks sky high
They said, 'You’re not like the others;
You’re different, you’ll make us proud!”
‘But I don't think so!’ I shout out loud
And run, because I'm frightened. Pain
Shoots through my veins, and there, again
I have lifted the bar of expectations higher
Pointed the gun at my very own head
And shot. Now I have no desire
To live, to fight. My will is dead
And so am I;
So am I.

Now I hang from the ceiling, the rope
Taut against my neck, all hope
Of living again, fighting my sorrow
Gone, there’s no more a tomorrow.

Now I bleed out on the grass
My wrist split open, a shard of glass
Lying beside me, which like a key
Had opened for the world a rare sight to see.
Now I drown; in water, in guilt
I lose my breath. I grip the hilt,
Drive the sword through my leaden heart
I reach the end of existence, when a part
Of me reaches into my depths and finds
A spark. Oh, the lord’s been kind!

Death after death stirs a life inside me
Now I won’t let my grief hide me
From the world. I’m still in here!
I can hear you, fight me if you dare!

I’ve been through hell and come back, my dear
I have nothing to lose, nothing to fear
I feel like glowing, like gold, flowing
My spirits are alive
And so am I;
So am I.
It's okay to burn yourself to the ground. You'll rise from the ashes.
Yazad Tafti Dec 2018
my brain is reprogramming
short circuit on the mother board
this technician has got it sorted out
he never pulls the cord

i feel free with clarity occupying my mind
nothing on it but the perception of my demolished confine
i am a free man, i step away from judgement
the thoughts of others occupying my will to be content

the content they scroll
holy scrolls gave me a toll
i seek purity
what i seek has been here all along
Faith Dec 2018
A girl with beautiful, golden hair                  
Waking up early and roasting my hair for days so they think it's pretty
Stylish clothes from designer brands
Saving up money for months to buy some stupid pants I don't like
A beautiful face
Using masks, scrubs, rinses, and lotions to look like this
Do you want me to go on?
Because trust me
This girl has so much pressure
That's not the real her
G Dec 2018
I got taken aside
told that I had won in life
offered roses as a token.

I never liked roses.
Theshygirl Dec 2018
Exams:
How wonderful they are
Because in the moments leading up to them
I’m ******* happy
A fantastic sense of euphoria
Something I haven’t felt in forever
Because teachers stop teaching
A few days before
Easy reviews and exam prep starts
And I get to relax
Nothing new to learn
Just old things to remember
Then they actually happen
And I remember why they’re so horrid
Cramming the night before
When your friends tell you
The test wasn’t as easy as you’d hoped
And remind you that no amount of prep could prepare you
Exams are ******* hard
Don’t you dare try to tell me otherwise.
I cry myself to sleep after hours of staring blankly at a full sheet of paper
Eyes wandering but not focusing
My mind turned to madness
Euphoria gone all too soon
And I’m back to hating myself
Wanting to quit and give up everything
But I can’t
Because as everybody says
It’s just exams
Like they don’t realize the anxieties and pressure that come from those four letters
I hate them
And the worst part is I know I’ll survive them
And have to suffer through again next year
And the year after that
Until the year that the exams conquer me
Absolutely destroying me inside and out
And I guess I’ll just wait for that to happen
Hopefully sooner rather than later.
In honor of them...
A Dec 2018
When your chest is weighing you down,
shrinking you into fetal position,
then it's hard to miss being able to breath lighlty
because every inch of you are trying to resist
getting stuck on the ground

every inch of you are trying to fight those ghosts in your head
that the demanding och oppressing world around you summoned,
called upon,
without bothering telling how you would get rid of them
without even caring if you did
as long as they didn't have to carry it all by themselves

and how could you ever have kept track on yourself
when so many have pushed themselves upon you,
plunged into your heart, forcing them into your hopefull mind,
breaking down the childish, open mind that had survived so far
but not this.
Not this.

And the weight and darkness of everyone else
seeking shelter in your loving soul
took over
leaving no space for you
so how could your clear breath had survived?
How could anyones air not get polluted and trapped?
And how could you even miss the lightness of your breath
once you started to believe it was only a myth
because you hadn't felt it in so long,
you had just felt everyone else's writched breath

But through all this
you found that the ground wasn't quicksand
and yes, maybe your innocence never will fully recover
but you will find the ability to blindly believe again
to throw yourself out there, trusting the leap of yourself
trusting that everything will be solved
because hey,
against all odds,
you just made it through.
Pyrrha Dec 2018
I love to dance, I love this routine
But her eyes bore into me and I felt like a machine
My parts and gears were aching, turned into the color of rust
I felt ready to combust
I love to dance, I love this routine
But she's made me in to something that isn't quite me
Suddenly I can't recall the once familiar choreography

Her wicked smile bends me and I crumble under the pressure
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