Not Okay

• Riley Monson, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2019

i look in the mirror, but the face staring back isn’t mine;
rub at the dark circles under my eyes: it’ll be fine;
at least that’s what I tell myself each and every time.
walk the crowded hallways, ignoring what they say,
try to tell myself that it will all be okay;
called by a name that doesn’t feel right,
struggling to get to sleep every single night;
always feeling so sad and lost,
heart cold, empty and covered in frost,
all i want to speak up, but at what cost?
wipe away the salty tears, cascading from my eyes,
feeling so overwhelmed, i just wish i could die;
not ready to face the cruel world waiting for me,
yet somehow it feels like it’s my destiny;
i act as if I’m fine, day after day;
but deep down I know that I’m…not okay