Fake a smile, force a laugh, don’t let them know you’re sad. Follow social cues, don’t give them any clues, of the weight that’s burdening you. Tell them you’re okay, convince them with what you say, your smile is too heavy to hold. Deep into the night, you grip onto that knife, knowing this could all end right now. the pain is swelling, your head is telling, you that you cannot win. push the thoughts away, even though you know they’re going to stay, tormenting you in the night. In this struggle it’s you, against this messed up world who, made you feel so worthless. singing you lies as your sweet lullabies, turning your dreams into nightmares. you’re drowning in tears from these menacing fears, but you don’t have the strength to fight it. you feel so small, and the weight of this all, is crushing your struggling lungs. And within this dark mess, I ask of one request, please fight for a reason to live. The future is a blank page, and the world is your stage, so put on a story worth telling. You’re a protagonist who fights, to bring back the light, to bring back the self that they lost. And not to spoil the end but you won’t have to pretend to be happy any longer. Because they feeling will be real, something this world cannot steal, something they cannot break. And though you’re hurting now, in the future somehow, I promise everything will work out