SOMETHING HAS ALWAYS BEEN WRONG

Waiting for Publication Results

In the tender years of youth’s embrace
lies a girl with a shadowed spirit. Beneath
her laugh, behind her smile, lurks a mind
overrun by chaos and denial. As the
playground echoes innocent joy,
she’s often lost, as if darkness has some
secret ploy. A ploy to capture the
strings of her heart to play a song that
rips her world apart. It rips at the
seams of her pink polka dot dress,
leaving her exposed to the world’s mess.

“I see the world for what it really is,”
she says to the young boy from class
as he licks his favorite lollipop.

His eyes are that of confusion, so she
decides to stop. A family plagued
by depression’s sting, her mind
buzzes incessantly with the
sadness that it brings. Exhaustion
and confusion about why her heart
no longer sings, she’s left to
wonder if this is how life will
always be. Years later, she will
silently hide this truth and
refrain from truly accepting
the pain of her family’s roots.
But for now, she’ll pretend
to smile. She’ll keep
playing tag while she still
considers happiness worthwhile.