Drip, drip
the sting of a whip,
daddy gave me another bruise to hide
along with the emptiness that I feel inside.
All the suffering and all the
PAIN
All the tears that I had to
ABSTAIN.

At school I find my escape
from the jail that is my home
but in my friends I have lost all faith,
even surrounded I feel
ALONE.
An exemplary student with such a high GPA
doted with multiple accolades.

Oh teacher, oh teacher,
with a college degree
tell me how you failed to see
that the smile that is so blithe
is just a mask behind which I
HIDE.

In my struggle to fit in,
I continued to pretend
that all was as it should be
but still I felt like you had failed me.
Perhaps, teacher, you are not reprehensible,
I acted as if I was
INVINCIBLE.
How could you be expected to see
past the walls that I built around me
to avoid being harangued
so that my will would not abrase?

Friends, classmates,
who hold me in such high regard;
who perhaps envy me,
for my life seems to be far from hard;
who laugh at my jokes;
who cry when I cry;
how many of you are real
and who would shed a tear if I should
DIE?
Would you remember my name
As the Homecoming Queen,
And feel the shame?
It remains to be seen.

The choir would sing,
perhaps some would weep,
but where I lost everything
all your memories you keep.
But oh your minds are oblivious to the
THOUGHT
that all is not what it seems.

You ask how I am
And get the usual “I’m
FINE,”
maybe now you will see
it was all a lie.
Red, red blood drips from my wrist
staining my pale skin.
Not a cry escapes my lips
But I know everyone will
HEAR
for I am screaming out into
a silence that resonates.
Drip, drip.