(photo session baby picture)
Serious                                                 ­                                                          
somber
no smile

Come on, child
I don't have all day
What's wrong with you

Oh go ahead
take one anyway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(early school years)
Serious face
somber
no smile

speak up, Child
no tales to tell?
of schoolyard adventures
games to be won?
you're so quiet...
what's wrong with you
cat got your tongue?

sad little face
tears running down
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(high school)
Serious face
somber
no smile

rattling papers
quivering lips
how long did this speech have to be?
knees won't stop trembling
how long can one take this misery?
can't see for tears forming

hot burning face
crippling disgrace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(meeting)
quiet
tentative: "I have an idea
I'd like to present..."

loud
dismissive
oh let's move on
that won't work

("why did I bother to come?
I feel like a ****")

burning eyes
lip silently bit
don't let the tears slip

oh this is fun
one and done
it means nothing
just an inner warmth
you tease me
and i tease you
how talented we are
making each other
feel so special
we have no intention
of taking it further
to bed or to alter
but rather
we found a way
to pass the time
and pass the time
we shall

Darkness
It flows over me
Like shadows
Over the sun

My back
It hurts
Like really bad
Ow
Like seriously
Ow
-Chase Witwiki

Reality?
Perish the thought!  
In fact, let’s drown it in a cup of tea.

Because when you're serious things seem to go well
Because when you're serious everything just falls into place
Being serious seems to prevent all issues but making things better is what it doesn't do
It's good to do something crazy every once in a while
It's great to be the reason that your lover smiles

An autonomous program written for all,
The margin of error is rather quite small.
A day to day basis I go through my week,
Without any error it's bound to repeat.
The automatic smile when passing a stranger
Believe it or not the code is in danger.

A fault in the code that lies in my brain,
At first I feel normal but then feel insane.
The code is so broken that nothing seems real,
How could it be when this is all I feel?
Day in day out a feeling of nothingness,
Most mark it off as me being a pessimist.

It all meshes together and all feels the same,
All I want is to get out of this sick, twisted game.
No changes in schedule is really quite boring,
But the thought of change is super abhorring.
I look at my friends and know I should care,
But in the end my mind is just bare.

Killing.
Not going to lie. I have thought about it.

Killing myself? Killing others?
Quite serious were and are those thoughts.

Death seems like a sweet embrace sometimes.
A pleasant change from reality.

I have considered it.
But every time, my mind is pulled back.

To those I love, and to those who love me back.
To my future, however grim.

To my life.
So please, if you ever consider death.

Death as but one alternative to the cruel reality of life.
But please don't.

You ARE loved.
By someone.

You are noticed.
Cared about.

You. Are. Seen.