A DAY IN MY SHOES

• Ashleigh Lodge, Grade 11
• Poetry
• 2018

She lay there, her body undisturbed, her mind lunatic
The voices scream, shout, screech and shriek
Her brain is constantly doing arithmetic,
All she can do is blink, she feels alone yet crowded
Her brain now desolate, voices departed
She crawls out of her haven, removing the safety blanket
And dresses herself ready for the dubious day ahead
Attends school she does, but absentminded she is
The bell goes Ting, Ting, Ting, Time to put on the mask
She laughs and smiles with her friends, crying on the inside,
She knows she doesn’t fit in, the voices reassure her
Finally the day has come to an end, but the mask still has a purpose
It’s time to go home and play the part, to impersonate the old her, happy her
She runs a bath, removes her mask and releases the pain
She lays in that same bed, body undisturbed, her mind lunatic
The voices return, time to relive today
Another day with anxiety, another day with depression
Another day in my young yet damaged shoes