A boy leans against the wall,
His eyes dark and expressionless.
He hasn't slept in two days,
And he worries that he'll always be alone in life.
He wears black clothes,
Dyes his hair,
And wears bracelets with the names of bands he doesn't even like.
He just wants to fit in.
He is like me.
His art is an outcry to the world,
And he begs for help.
But no help comes.
And he is like me.

An elderly woman knits a bonnet for one of her grandchildren,
But she has no grandchildren.
She has been unmarried since the day she was born.
She has no husband, no children, no friends.
Yet she lives in a world of fantasy,
trying to shut out the hard truth.
She is alone.
She is like me.
People say she's crazy,
That she'll die in that old rocking chair.
And she is like me.

A man sits on the side of the road,
Hungry and helpless.
He hasn't had a bite to eat in three days,
And he tells people so.
Yet they ignore him and pass him by like he is dirt.
Some even grimace at him.
But he can not see them.
He is blind.
He is like me.
No one pities him,
No one helps him,
Very few notice him.
And he is like me.

I notice these people as I live everyday.
People who are ignored,
People who nobody cares about,
People trying to live a normal life.
I suffer alongside them.
When you look at someone,
Just a mere glance,
You don't know what is going on in their private life.
Don't judge them for even a moment.
Because they are like me.
They are mere shadows in a world of people that shine like bright lights.
They are people who suffer every single day.
They are people that need help.
And they are me.