PoemsBrowse PoemsSlamsFresh DropEchoes
LearnWriting TipsPoetry TermsPoets & ArtistsBooksFor Teachers
ExplorePoetry GenomePoem MapEchoesTake ActionGroups
AboutWrite a PoemDonateSign UpLog In

Desert


Do you know what it is like to 
Lay. Completely. Still.
In. A. Quiet. Room.
Exploding?
Words burn and bounce 
across the trampoline that seems to be my brain
I know that I have a disorder. That I have an unnatural voice inside my neurons. 
But. I. Can't. Resist.
The words that tell me 
that its not me, that my parents make it worse, that I am not wrong.
 
And there are the words that I feed myself. 
Printed on colorful pages to make them more convincing are those
full of stone smiles and cheesy slogans
I matter. I am beautiful. I love myself. 
 
But these don't matter because 
deep down you are trying so so hard to believe them 
That. It. Hurts. 
And. You. Cant. Make. It. Stop. 
Your fingers scroll through your contacts
Looking for anyone who will make you stop trembling.
To stop and think that your life matters 
That you shouldn't kill the words in your head.
 
And you see her
She may not answer at first,
but when she does...
I virtually yell
I tell her everything
My anger, my depression, the words and that I lie when I say I’m fine
And she listens
And my fingers quiet themselves 
I can breathe again. 
The air is almost foreign but I breathe it in like I came back from the dead
Because she understands 
And I believe she loves me. Really. 
She would miss me
In her heart I matter
So, I. Lay. Completely. Still.
Until the room comes into a sharp focus
and I remember that my responsibilities await me -
the me that I show the world.
 
My anxiety drops me in a desert 
that blocks the entrance of any others
But the one thing that I need when I get locked on that island 
Is the love of my sister
 
©All Rights Reserved

Something wrong with this poem?

Submitted to a slam

All I Need Scholarship Slam - CLOSED

Share

Replies are closed for this poem.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, 24/7. Crisis Text Line — text HELLO to 741741.

Kwalkercollege

View all poems →

Your Poem's Voice

See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.

Comments (0)

Comments are closed for this poem.