How much will it take

How much pain will it take

How many cuts must one make

How much anger will it take

How many pills must we swallow

How much sadness will it take

How many jumps must we take

How much fear will it take

How many must take their lives

How much death will it take

How much

How many people have to suffer for you to understand

What you say matters

Idiot, Stupid, Trash, Worthless, Freak, Fat,

How much pain does it take for you to understand

How many people have to go down the path of Depression

How much will it take for people to realize pain isn’t just physical

How many people have to suffer

Before you understand

That quiet girl in class with the smile that never wavers or fades, she has tried to take her life, she suffers from chronic depression and anxiety, and hides her body from anyone's concern or pryful eyes so no one will know

Or how about the star quarterback who has it all, scholarships, good looks, good grades, beautiful girlfriend, he’s losing his mother to cancer, and has no one who knows just how much pain and fear he is going through

Or the talkative girl who seems to strike up a conversation with anyone, she suffers from PTSD and is sexualy abused every day, but she tries to make sure that everyone else’s pain is put before her own

Or that boy who wears baggy clothes, he hardly eats and makes himself throw up multiple times a day so no one will ever call him fat again

So how much pain and suffering will it take before you realize

that people lie

that people need to wake up and realize what they are saying is wrong

that people are hurting, even if you can’t see it

that mental illness can be deadly

that it can affect even the best and happiest of people

that it can even affect people like me.