noticing the signs (an original poem)

she hated the people around her

but laughed at their jokes every time

she cried in her bed night after night

her parents would swear she was fine

her happiness seeped into undeserving strangers

they were sure she must've been perfect

and yet she never wore short sleeves

or ate all the food in her lunch bag

she tried to get her family's attention

she cried and fought and hid and swore

she leaned on her books, her music, her skincare

but they never gave her a reason to stay

after the speech, her family said she never showed the signs

it was unexpected, tragic and maybe even a lie

but looking down at them from above

her worst fears were realized:

no, they never saw what she felt

or heard her cries late at night

they loved her to death

but not enough to stop it

she was good at faking it

that even now they swore-

it was unexpected, tragic, maybe all a lie.

though she fought for them to notice

for the remainder of her life,

they didn't even notice

when it was time to say goodbye.

~noticing the signs, 19 november 2024