Growing up I always heard:
“Be yourself.”
But no one ever told me
That being me, would hurt
Hurt like losing everything you once loved

I savor being at home,
A refuge were I reside
To hide from them…
The one place I feel safe anymore
Only to leave it behind
Every morning.

The death trap called a bus, drops me off
Through the door, I try to hide
But she sees the pain on my face
The wound encompassing every shade of purple.

An endless wait shakes me
Paranoia now a permanent part of a daily routine.
Always holding back that burning acid,
The world calls tears.
What if we came together?
What if we fought back?
And what if we came out victorious?

Bullies are said to be invincible,
But their words can’t hurt us.
Alone we seem weak
However, together we stand tall,
We rise up over them,
We become strong,
We will rebel and
We will succeed

The teachers who ignore us.
The people who choose
Not to see the bruise.
The kids who push us to the dirt.
They fill their selves with selfish needs
Not caring who gets hurt.
They’ll see soon.
This disease of realization spreading fast.

Hearts on fire
Brains on ice.
We face our problem today
They stand only feet away,
Making their harsh jokes
Even now.
The flag dances in the evening breeze
It’s us versus them.
Suspense fills the dry air with tension.

Like a game of Capture the flag,
An internal count down starts:
One (feet in placeü) Two (eyes on the targetsü) Three (run like hellü)
GO!
The ground pummeled as kids race towards each other
Battle cries pounding on my eardrums.

As I bring my feet forward
I run into the unknown of the battlefield
Not concerned of the results
Just ready,
Ready to fight back!

By:  Hillie Hedgecock