I stand in the door way
Dreading the steps that will fling me
Face first into hell
I plaster a false and deceiving smile
Onto my face
And trap a generic giggle within my throat
In this cage called high school I
Force myself
Onto auto pilot
“you know everyone”
People say as I wave and shout hello to the strangers that pass me
I seem to know everyone and they seem to know me
What a foolish misconception
These people know nothing about me
And I know nothing of them
I talk but they rarely hear and when they hear
They do not listen
Amongst these people
I am not myself
I am stifled and crying inside
Unartistic
Unhappy
And teeming with frustration
For around these people
I cannot be me
And will not be me
For they do not deserve
To know me
Because they know nothing of me they do not understand me
Around these people
In this place
I am
A
Caged bird