draw the
light, not the
dark, speak in
hushed



whispers
when sickness is in
the room,
don’t speak or
write of
death, never paint with
blood, always
smile for
the camera even if
it hurts, never
complain when
people can hear
you, don’t cry because
they can see you,
make yourself
numb

before


you
die,
never show people your
true colors
because they are

too


dark,
paint yourself red
because it’s
better than gray,
only bleed in the
dark, always say
goodbye before
you leave, never
hurt anyone without
needing to, don’t
go in your room during
the day
because they

will


worry
for you, sometimes
too much, sometimes
not enough,
listen to your
mother
because she’s sad
right now,
because she’s home
from work, because
she’s bleeding in the
daylight and dad is
w o r r i e d

a b o u t


h e r,
don’t interfere with
business, never leave
without them knowing,
never draw or

write or


talk of
the sad things,
never get angry because
people will be
able to

hurt


you
easily, write long
poems because it’s
better than
screaming
out
loud.