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For My People

I wrote this poem in my junior year of high school in creative writing class.

By Paolo AffinitoPublished 6 years ago 1 min read
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For my people, the ones who have to swallow a pill

Everyday to face the harsh pain of reality

We're too silent or too loud for those around us

We're told to be silent and assimilate

For my people, who find comfort in the little things

Like a simple snowfall or the ambiance of rain

Or emerging ourselves into another character's life

Because sometimes that's the only way to escape our own

For my people, we rejoice over small accomplishments

Not crying in three days, doing 2/16 homework assignments

Waking up when all we want to do is sleep forever

But were overshadowed by those doing actual things

For my people, we always knew something wasn't right

The fact that our brains doubted we needed to be helped

Is proof of our anxieties, our need to not be different

We find ourselves silently suffering for torture like years to come

For my people, late nights and no mornings, we can't face the day,

Depression told us to punish ourselves, anxiety immediately regrets it

What if someone sees it, will it be worse if they say something or stay silent

A million thoughts and excuses run through our overactive minds

For my people, constantly warring against ourselves

Saying we’ll kill ourselves tonight, by morning we say we’ll change

The night comes again but we can't bring ourselves to do it

We feel too weak or too selfish, convinced others have it worse

For my people, whose family didn't notice a difference

How silent you've gotten, how much you're not yourself

And you always wonder how quick they'd get over your death

If they'd feel a burden being lifted when you jumped

performance poetry
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About the Creator

Paolo Affinito

I am an existence that has not yet discovered its ethereal potential

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