I wish they would just notice me

I thought that if I ran away enough times,

or to a place far enough away,

they would notice.

I thought that if I wore my hair a certain way,

or my make up dark enough,

they would notice.

I thought that if I smoked a little pot,

or got suspended from school,

just maybe...

they would notice.

I was just sixteen years old when I lost it...

anything that resembled innocence.

They didn't know what to do with me,

and instead of paying me any attention,

they locked me away and threw away the key.

It was in my cell that I found poetry,

an escape from the four walls I was assigned to,

an escape from the prison between my ears.

I had found my new drug, my new escape, my new freedom.

I found something that finally got them to notice me.