Please, Just Listen

By Lauren, 13, Maryland

All I ask is for a good listener,
Not a lovey-dovey talker.
I'm tired of being 2nd wheel,
I want to be heard, too.
I don't want a lecture,
Or speech,
Or argument,
Just listen to me.
Inside me, my stress builds up.
Outside me, you're happy.
Day after day I hide these feelings.
I've been interrupted,
I try not to care,
But stop,
Just shut up,
It's my turn.

Untitled

By Georgine, 17, Maryland

Shattered dreams smeared upon a wall.
Tarnished by what you think of me.
Trying to be strong and stand up on my two feet,
but I crumble and fall because I have allowed you to make me weak.
Hewing my name and filling my head with false truths of me,
I weep.
Why you hurt me the way you do is unclear to me,
but want is for certain I know you don't love me,
even though you claim you do it to stop my tears from falling.
Love only hurts when it's lost,
not when you feel like causing me pain due to your lack of self-esteem.