It all started in 8th grade
I was desperate
I needed a way to let the real me through
I felt like all of my friends were failing me
I had to put on a fake smile
Each day I pretended it was all okay
My grandmother, my best friend was slowly leaving
The cancer had overtaken her body
The light was leaving her eyes
The image haunting me everyday

“How are you?”
What a joke
No one really wanted to know
Who wanted to hear about my sorrow
The Joy the happiness that was forgotten
Sleep evaded me
I searched for anyone who cared

One day I couldn’t bear the weight any longer
Everything was bottled up and I was about to blow
I needed to get my thoughts out
I sat at my desk and wrote
The emotion flowed fluidly
My heart and my pen were one
The paper captured my tears
And my fears

Slowly my mood softened
With each line,
The wrenching sobs turned into sniffles
Each stanza,
The violent shaking became a slight tremble
The weight on my back was lifted
I could smile again.

My emotions were not bottled up
They lay on the paper
The whirls and lines
Curves and dots
Took on the form of all my fears
Suddenly they seemed so little
So easy to conquer
I created them,
Now I could end them
In one swift motion I tore apart the paper…
And my problems