The Stress

A tear falls down.

Just one, then two.

I hang my head to hide my face,

But I know he stiffens, closes off, turns away,

Avoids seeing me as he makes his rounds.

Round and round the papers go,

They spin in front of my cloudy eyes.

My feet carry me towards the door,

He says nothing, lets me go,

Avoiding the truth on my face.

I stand in the cold of the hallway,

People pass but don't say a word.

My mind is screaming its panic,

My heart beats fast as a bird.

I breathe as I try to collect,

The scattering thoughts in my mind

Oh Teacher why do you reject me?

Ignoring my fear and my pain?

I know that my tears they upset you,

But should you just turn me away?

Can't you see that I'm losing the battle

To keep all my worries locked in.

I'm breaking up under the pressure,

Of the weight of these fears in my head. 

Just because I'm a girl and a teen,

Doesn't mean that my fears are not real.

But you won't see me pacing these hallways

Running from the dark of my mind

Don't you think you could just maybe,

Give some peace to my frantic mind?

Everyone in the classroom, they know me. 

I'm the girl with the stress and the tears.

I stand alone in the cold and the chaos,

The darkness moving in on my mind

I wonder if one day you will reach for me

Grab me before I fall flat,

Understand how my stress and my fear,

My panic, my abuse, and my pain,

They're not the product of bullies or beatings,

No the pain that I feel is unceasing you see,

For it comes from inside of myself.