Hello Poetry
Submit your work and get some sparkles! Create free account
#failing
I promised myself this year would be different. This summer I wouldn’t hide. I won’t be ashamed of my scars anymore. Guess what? Now it’s Worm , and I wear long sleeves, long skirts. I cover my scars along with all my pain, so my mother can’t see. I am not what she wants me to be. I am broken. I cut my own beauty away — just a picture of horror and shame, something that just shouldn’t be there. I open up too much and too little. I haven’t found the right way yet. Either way, I can’t stand how you look at me when my arms are visible, like I am ugly, not how I used to be. I am not the little girl you want to see. I don’t even have something against my scars. They are there, so what? But your words cut deep — deeper than any blade ever has. They leave a scar not visible on skin, but in my heart.
0
May 26
May 26, 2026 at 7:54 PM UTC
A Picture of Horror and shame
My saw doesn't work. Hands shaking, I keep trying. Forward Back Forward Back NOTHING! I remain chained to this boulder that's grown teeth and is watching my foolish attempts at freedom. Watching and waiting for the moment to STRIKE, make me fade out. My fear is drowning in anger, though. Anger that I'm chained to this boulder, that I have no strength to free myself, that everyone else is just walking by. Don't they notice the woman chained to the boulder?? But I make no sound, burrowing deep into my head as if there was an escape hatch there instead of more boulders that haven't grown as big yet. "I can't do this" groans one. "I'll never get better" coughs another. Down the line, miniatures of the granddaddy of them all - "I've failed." A shout as loud as a jet engine. No hope. No help. No tears. No point. The chain around my neck pulls tighter. Thoughts spill out, like coffee on a white tablecloth. "Everyone's stronger than I am. More faith, less baggage. But what if we're all the same and I'm just this pathetic excuse of a has-been?" The chain tightens. The scene around me spins in Technicolor. Everything starts to fade. "I am a candle," I whisper "I am light." But the darkness laughs. The teeth grow bigger and bigger, as I see them closer and closer until - STOP! "I'm wrong," I gasp. "He is light, He is truth, He is the Way." "I can do NOTHING without Him And ALL THINGS through Him. Even cut this chain." As I reach for the saw, The chain falls off my neck And falls at my feet. "I haven't failed," I whisper, "I haven't failed." For here is Hope. Help. Tears. The only Point I need... Jesus.
0
May 13
May 13, 2026 at 1:42 AM UTC
The Stone
My saw doesn't work. Hands shaking, I keep trying. Forward Back Forward Back NOTHING! I remain chained to this boulder that's grown teeth and is watching my foolish attempts at freedom. Watching and waiting for the moment to STRIKE, make me fade out. My fear is drowning in anger, though. Anger that I'm chained to this boulder, that I have no strength to free myself, that everyone else is just walking by. Don't they notice the woman chained to the boulder?? But I make no sound, burrowing deep into my head as if there was an escape hatch there instead of more boulders that haven't grown as big yet. "I can't do this" groans one. "I'll never get better" coughs another. Down the line, miniatures of the granddaddy of them all - "I've failed." A shout as loud as a jet engine. No hope. No help. No tears. No point. The chain around my neck pulls tighter. Thoughts spill out, like coffee on a white tablecloth. "Everyone's stronger than I am. More faith, less baggage. But what if we're all the same and I'm just this pathetic excuse of a has-been?" The chain tightens. The scene around me spins in Technicolor. Everything starts to fade. "I am a candle," I whisper "I am light." But the darkness laughs. The teeth grow bigger and bigger, as I see them closer and closer until - STOP! "I'm wrong," I gasp. "He is light, He is truth, He is the Way." "I can do NOTHING without Him And ALL THINGS through Him. Even cut this chain." As I reach for the saw, The chain falls off my neck And falls at my feet. "I haven't failed," I whisper, "I haven't failed." For here is Hope. Help. Tears. The only Point I need... Jesus.
Continue reading...
67
in a humming voice silent whispers so the choice of the note- it falters a little melody - screaming sounds cry outside faintly tricking sounds a floating you taunts me quietly watching - helping me i know it’s fake but it helps me smile at the heaps of failed compositions it’s surely the next one and you say yes
0
Apr 21
Apr 21, 2026 at 4:09 PM UTC
23:39
My history can be found in between heartbeats In the red, pulsating rush that became patterns of jagged white lines... But I can't tell you that. Too many ears on what I say, Too many eyes on what I do, Until even the greatest palace I could live in Turns into a d i r t y cardboard box under a bridge. My world shrinks. No freedom involved. People's expectations k i l l. I can't say I cut, I can't disappoint people, So I say nothing. But maybe somebody needed to know they weren't alone in facing this. Maybe it was me. I needed to hear I wasn't weak because of it — I was human. We all fall down. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. What matters is how we get back up, But because of the shame, Because of the stigma, People who cut often don't reach out for help, Often don't get back up. I don't know if I can reach out for help. Disappoint yet another set of watchful eyes With the knowledge that I struggle. But if I don't, I might end up disappointing them With the knowledge that I'm no longer here.
0
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 1:35 PM UTC
I Must Disappoint
I’m seventeen, moving from class to class with a backpack full of “almost.” Almost good enough grades. Almost the right choices. Almost the person everyone wants me to be. My parents sigh before they speak. My teachers write comments like has potential as if potential is supposed to feel like praise and not a reminder that I’m not there yet. Even my friends sometimes look at me like I missed something— like I didn’t say the right thing, didn’t show up the right way, didn’t get it right. I try. I really try. But it feels like I’m always one step off, one answer short, one version of myself away from being enough. My grades are “okay,” my effort is real, but somehow I still feel like I’m failing at life in ways no report card shows. I carry this quiet fear that no matter how much I do, someone will always be disappointed. And after a while, you start wondering if the problem isn’t what you do— but who you are.
0
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 10:46 AM UTC
Who You Are...
Please don’t get me wrong, Like water in a dam I too wish to be held Your arms around my ribs Let me leave oxygen behind and collapse Into a semblance of safety poisoned with Cortisol I need you to understand — like water I do not wish to be held back Caught between your arms and the impossibilities —Please don’t take this the wrong way I wish to drown Its not that I don’t like you Because in a another life I might have even been able to eat dinner Without feeling like I had to throw up At the sight of your touch on my plate Don’t get it wrong I understand that this goes against The very nature of a parasite To feel guilt But I didn’t ask to be stuck holding on to a dry branch ******* away at nothing As it rots from the root Its not that I don’t love you Its just that Every smile of yours Looks like the curve of a dagger to me And I keep waiting for the Guillotine to fall I keep waiting to be executed For eating cake while being infested with maggots Its not that I like you Its just that I am surprised every time You make my favorite food Because I never expected you to Remember my name
0
Apr 1
Apr 1, 2026 at 9:59 PM UTC
Apologies to the Contradictions that Cannot Feed Me
i text back in thirty seconds because i'm scared of what one minute costs. i've made myself the lighthouse for those who are tired and lost. i took an oath i never signed to be the strongest one in the room. i am the one who stays awake to keep the monsters at the door. but my sky is turning gray and my cape drags the floor. (it's hard to be superman when your bones are made of glass, waiting for someone to notice that this "hero" is failing fast.)
0
Mar 24
Mar 24, 2026 at 5:22 PM UTC
the hero
a pattern of expectations kinks us all saves us from skiving off on an individual adventure puddles us in our meddle internalizes our mud and curbs our imagination - a mongered holding pattern and not a happy one
0
Feb 28
Feb 28, 2026 at 9:25 PM UTC
mud puddle
losing a day here and there a quick check of the calendar confirms misspelling has never been so prolific the oldering grey matter, fogged clouds in the mind pouring their rain, pouring down their rain.
0
Feb 20
Feb 20, 2026 at 5:22 AM UTC
fogged rain
Marks are high, Teachers praise, But, I can't help but look behind me at the stragglers. Why do the teachers always check in on me? What about the stragglers trying even when they have so many fails? I find it unfair. I begin to hate who I am. The high marks. They do not define me. And I won't let them define me. No, I won't. Not my parents, not my teachers, nor my peers. And then, slowly I fall from my academic high. Oh, how painful it is to see so clearly what I lack. But it remains out of reach. And now, I find myself looking at my past. Oh, how happy I was. How innocent. Always happy to see those 90s and 100s. And now, look at them. 80s and 70s. How much does 88 differ from 90? "Not a lot," most would say. But when you say, "How much does 88% differ from 90% on a test?" The tune changes. From normality to excellence. A wide chasm that I can no longer cross. But, I think a little harder. Am I content with life? Mostly. Am I my own person? Yes, I'm no longer the numbers in red on paper. And so, I think I've won in my own way. I've created my own path. That's how I see it. And if the parents and teachers are blind to it, let them. I will walk my path happily. For no longer do I have the heavy burdens on my shoulders. I am happy. Even if everyone is disappointed, I no longer care. I have no burdens. I am happy. So, when they ask what happened to my academic excellence, I will ask them: "Why should I carry such heavy burdens on my shoulders, when I am merely 13?"
0
Feb 13
Feb 13, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC
Beyond the 90s
Marks are high, Teachers praise, But, I can't help but look behind me at the stragglers. Why do the teachers always check in on me? What about the stragglers trying even when they have so many fails? I find it unfair. I begin to hate who I am. The high marks. They do not define me. And I won't let them define me. No, I won't. Not my parents, not my teachers, nor my peers. And then, slowly I fall from my academic high. Oh, how painful it is to see so clearly what I lack. But it remains out of reach. And now, I find myself looking at my past. Oh, how happy I was. How innocent. Always happy to see those 90s and 100s. And now, look at them. 80s and 70s. How much does 88 differ from 90? "Not a lot," most would say. But when you say, "How much does 88% differ from 90% on a test?" The tune changes. From normality to excellence. A wide chasm that I can no longer cross. But, I think a little harder. Am I content with life? Mostly. Am I my own person? Yes, I'm no longer the numbers in red on paper. And so, I think I've won in my own way. I've created my own path. That's how I see it. And if the parents and teachers are blind to it, let them. I will walk my path happily. For no longer do I have the heavy burdens on my shoulders. I am happy. Even if everyone is disappointed, I no longer care. I have no burdens. I am happy. So, when they ask what happened to my academic excellence, I will ask them: "Why should I carry such heavy burdens on my shoulders, when I am merely 13?"
Continue reading...
44
I’m seventeen and tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix. My alarm goes off like an accusation, and I drag myself to work with a smile I don’t recognize practiced in the bathroom mirror. Customers ask how I’m doing. I say “good” because it’s easier than explaining how heavy my chest feels for no obvious reason. School is worse. Grades slip like they’re done trying, numbers on a screen telling me I’m failing at a future I don’t even know how to want right now. I stare at homework until the words blur, then hate myself for not caring enough. My parents nag— Try harder. Apply yourself. You’re wasting your potential. They don’t hear the part of me that’s already screaming. Every day feels the same, a loop I can’t fast-forward— work, school, disappointment, repeat. No big breakdown, no dramatic ending, just this constant gray that won’t lift, won’t break, won’t leave. I keep going because I’m supposed to. Because quitting would worry people. Because stopping feels worse than surviving. They say it gets better. I’m waiting. Still showing up. Still breathing. Still wondering how something invisible can weigh this **** much and never seem to end.
0
Jan 15
Jan 15, 2026 at 1:45 PM UTC
Still Showing Up, Still Sinking
Everyone says I’m lucky. Seventeen. Whole life ahead of me like a hallway with too many doors. My grades are fine. My parents aren’t yelling. I’ve got friends, plans for Friday, a phone that lights up when I check it. Nothing’s wrong enough to complain about. That’s what I tell myself when my chest feels tight for no reason in the middle of math class. I laugh loud in the cafeteria. I post like I’m supposed to. I know all the right answers except why I feel empty when I’m not supposed to. Adults say this is the best time. No real problems yet. But every night my thoughts get heavy, like they’re trying to grow up faster than me. I feel guilty for feeling bad. Like I’m wasting something important. Like happiness is a class I’m skipping on purpose. I don’t want anything terrible to happen. I don’t want attention. I just want to understand why being okay feels so exhausting. Everything’s good. That’s the problem. Because if this is fine, why do I still feel like I’m failing at being seventeen?
0
Jan 8
Jan 8, 2026 at 1:06 PM UTC
Failing At Being Seventeen
I keep dreaming of the stars I'm made of of the skies I look up to of the minds I've witnessed and played with and spoken to, the ones I've touched and regretted so. Letting go of time and memories that grew with me like roots of trees ducking all travesties digging away at the soil. I pluck them and forget them, until **** spews out the gaping hole it left that night the night, when I kept sweating weeping rolling uncomfortably in bed the night I tried to keep you, keep you close, close to my heart. Until I stopped dreaming of what pained me the most; my desire to treasure you.
0
Nov 11, 2025
Nov 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM UTC
Ship Has Sailed.
I want to believe a bird is all a need oh to be a bird flying in the sky dancing so high but oh my to be a bird you must be strong if I was a bird it would go wrong cause my wings would be weak my voice would be peak my mother would have left me my father would have flee my eyes to bad to define who you are are you the enemy? a mouse or a rat? oh but you're friendly stabbing in my back but here I fly here I try ouch that was a tree
0
Oct 11, 2025
Oct 11, 2025 at 10:41 AM UTC
Poor little bird
row, row —row the rock, roll it up the hill fall, fall —fall, fall —it tumble down on me row, row —row it up, responsibility. oh no, oh no —I failed at it again. i try, i try —I always try my best oh no, oh no — it is never enough
0
Aug 27, 2025
Aug 27, 2025 at 2:00 AM UTC
up the hill
try to grow up. fail on repeat. the weight of wasted years pushing down "i will have it figured out by then." fall back asleep. friends move out. i am behind. laying in my room, no boxes to pack. dreams collect dust. money flies away over an unmade bed. another job slips through my hands, the walls close in and time moves on.
0
Aug 18, 2025
Aug 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM UTC
college
I held myself to you, Desperate to fit to your curves And push myself into your gaps. I hid at your center When you were mostly edges, Still filling in the spaces around you. All your pieces jumbled and piled together Waiting for you to dive into them And fit each fragment along your lines Piecing together your parts. Each piece betraying me more. Calling me out as an imposter As I tried to hide my edges from you, Carve off my corners and make me round. Fearing as your shape emerged You would realize I didn’t fit Within your borders, Discarding me for a piece that did. And I i would see your puzzle Complete Without me.
0
Jun 3, 2025
Jun 3, 2025 at 3:45 PM UTC
puzzle
sub standard, expect wrong eyes and damaged no checks judged and jealous at being the difference you couldn't fill us without my sanctity i'd swallow and until it bends im the pillow it bites and i learn to cry hunting my own mountains she will have learned saying goodbye's goodbye's the way i see one day i can learn to breath hates the day i ran my mouth down down to the inner city then he went an gave up drinking all the garbage sips out of his ***** gulp's freelancing ain't what you hear from it's earth, sun remember she aint your mum call me out, outside into the ***** fields to run
0
Mar 14, 2025
Mar 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM UTC
i can't grow, i lost pollen once
Her voice like a song Running its fingertips through my hair Ivory chords and wind blowing Orange-coloured like that of dawn Soft like a laugh and syrup Her music isn’t just noises, and all along It twists and dances like spells in the air Emerald notes and feeling flowing Blue-coloured like the sand and sea’s bond Sweet like love as you try to keep up She swings bright and long Skipping in the sky with me, kind and fair Quartz singing and so much heart showing Violet-coloured like the rest of them, gone Short like time we have, siphoned from our cup But I’m a cacophony compared to her song It’s all just noises and all along I cry when I fall, harsh and long I’m a cacophony when compared to her song But I can’t hear the music playing in my hair It’s angled and tripping over all of the air I see what she sees, but it’s mean and not fair I can’t hear the music that plays in my hair But I fail and it’s dusk when she is the dawn It’s low tide and the water breaks its bond I run and I scream and my sound is gone I fail and it’s dusk when she’d rather be dawn But I prefer plain and not sticky sweet syrup It’s hard to try but I must and I cannot give up I wish for a drink, but from my still empty cup I am quite plain and not sticky sweet syrup.
0
Jan 30, 2025
Jan 30, 2025 at 10:32 PM UTC
Her with I
I sit here, Like a beetle on it's back In a crack of it's own design Crafted it's own demise Frantically flailing Panicking mainly Legs going every witch way, Becoming to heavy To reach out for help No voice to call out for help Though it tries Not knowing it's already dead Hope is the first thing that dies Moments from the cruel hand dealt By life itself Exposing itself As deaths right hand man Still we fall for the bluff And the universe doesn't listen to "Enough is enough" If you don't like it Tough ©2025
0
Jan 22, 2025
Jan 22, 2025 at 8:53 PM UTC
~•§•~ Handcrafted Demise ~•§•~
While I was trying to find where love could be Love had come A thousand times and I failed to see
0
Nov 9, 2024
Nov 9, 2024 at 2:21 PM UTC
Untitled
I failed                        I failed                                               I failed. I tried so hard and yet I failed. I did everything I was supposed to, and yet I failed. Now, it didn't matter much. I honestly don't really care. But it opens a gateway for all the thoughts that I continuously fail to lock up.                                                                                                    The thoughts.                                                                                                    The thoughts.                                                                                     Those awful thoughts. Suddenly I'm crashed into by waves of feeling everything and then when it subdues, nothing. EVERYTHING nothing EVERYTHING nothing EVERYTHING                                                                                                                     I am nothing. Those thoughts feed off my self-doubt and disappointment, like a parasite. I can't get them out. I can't get them out.                                                                                        God, they're so loud.                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP Shut up. Just shut up.                       Just stop thinking                                        Just shut your mind up                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP Don't cry, no don't cry. If you cry, they'll know,                                           and then,                                                                                      "Why are you crying?                                                                        You have no reason to be sad.                                                                        or                                                                           anxious                                                                        or                                                                           depressed                                                                        or                                                                           possibly even                                                                                                  ******* insane. No, no reason. No reason whatsoever.                                                                                                         So shut up,                                                                                                            don't cry.                                                                                               Your life is great.                                                                                    You have great friends, (Do I?)                                                                                   You have great parents, (Do I?)                                                                                                   You're healthy, (Am I?)                                                                                                       You're alive, (Am I?)                                                                                                  Nobody died." (Had I?) (I'm dead.) I'm dying dying dying Oh god, **** me please Please I can't do it on my own please please please. It hurts so much, these waves of everything and nothing over and over and over and over and over --- and nothing works. My brain doesn't work. Make it stop.                       Make it stop.                                                                                                       Make it stop                                                                                                       Stop                                                                                                           Stop                                                                                                              Stop                                                                                                                 Stop                                                                                                                    Stop. Please.
0
Nov 2, 2024
Nov 2, 2024 at 12:02 AM UTC
Off.
I failed                        I failed                                               I failed. I tried so hard and yet I failed. I did everything I was supposed to, and yet I failed. Now, it didn't matter much. I honestly don't really care. But it opens a gateway for all the thoughts that I continuously fail to lock up.                                                                                                    The thoughts.                                                                                                    The thoughts.                                                                                     Those awful thoughts. Suddenly I'm crashed into by waves of feeling everything and then when it subdues, nothing. EVERYTHING nothing EVERYTHING nothing EVERYTHING                                                                                                                     I am nothing. Those thoughts feed off my self-doubt and disappointment, like a parasite. I can't get them out. I can't get them out.                                                                                        God, they're so loud.                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP Shut up. Just shut up.                       Just stop thinking                                        Just shut your mind up                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP                                                                                                                  STOP Don't cry, no don't cry. If you cry, they'll know,                                           and then,                                                                                      "Why are you crying?                                                                        You have no reason to be sad.                                                                        or                                                                           anxious                                                                        or                                                                           depressed                                                                        or                                                                           possibly even                                                                                                  ******* insane. No, no reason. No reason whatsoever.                                                                                                         So shut up,                                                                                                            don't cry.                                                                                               Your life is great.                                                                                    You have great friends, (Do I?)                                                                                   You have great parents, (Do I?)                                                                                                   You're healthy, (Am I?)                                                                                                       You're alive, (Am I?)                                                                                                  Nobody died." (Had I?) (I'm dead.) I'm dying dying dying Oh god, **** me please Please I can't do it on my own please please please. It hurts so much, these waves of everything and nothing over and over and over and over and over --- and nothing works. My brain doesn't work. Make it stop.                       Make it stop.                                                                                                       Make it stop                                                                                                       Stop                                                                                                           Stop                                                                                                              Stop                                                                                                                 Stop                                                                                                                    Stop. Please.
Continue reading...
95
Miserable miserable i was I am N I would The holding of tears Eventually dropping like icebergs Rocks rocks rocks They sound like rocks They feel like rocks They hurt like rocks How coldness n strength Changed into warmth n weakness I followed your light Worshiped your bright Through deep n pain How can i stop the rain I kept it inside You threw it aside We played hide and seek But only i seek They said for the sake of love They said for the sake of redemption I used to cross my battles I used to sharpen my dagger   Now I redeemed my soul N covered my sword Those were new I barley knew I thought i’m tough But it was rough Now we have no tears left Will cry it blood We won’t make it stop This heart is rotten Filled with brok’n Kitting it string by string Oh where did the melody of them go Oh where did the red in them go
0
Oct 30, 2024
Oct 30, 2024 at 7:03 AM UTC
Miserable