First day of school,
I’m scared to death.
A step in the door
and I can’t catch my breath.

I silently repeat
“You are brand new
No one here knows what
you’ve been through

They don’t hate you,
you deserve a clean start.”
Then the first dirty look was passed
and my hope fell apart.

Foot in front of foot
through the narrow halls,
I can already feel the judgment
seeping from the yellow walls.

As I pass,
I see faces turn.
Whether I look or not
their expression burn.

They look me
up and down,
They furiously
whisper all around.

Some began to
laugh out loud,
But they’re faceless
within the crowd.

Humiliation rolls
down my cheek,
They smell it in the air,
they knew I was weak.

“Hold your head up high
and have pride in you,”
But that’s hard when I’m looked
at like the gum stuck to their shoe.

You can change places and people
and you can always be new
But the same things will happen
unless you change you.