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These Days
These days I think of Annie
And all she does to fit in with her peers.
Saying, “It makes me feel better.”
As she finishes off the drugs and the beers.
She is unaware of the bags under her eyes
And the slight tremble in her hand.
She thinks it is normal that her heart is racing
She just doesn’t understand.
She thinks she is living her life to the fullest,
Her life of highs and lows.
Then she craves the highs more and more,
And wonders where her money goes.
Sometimes she wishes she could escape,
Knowing this life is wrong.
But the steps are too high,
And the ropes holding her are too strong.
I reach out to her
But only our fingertips touch.
If only she would take one step,
Or is that too much?
Surely drugs can be demolished for Annie.
These days I think of Megan,
Lying in bed, near the wall.
She is afraid to breathe or move,
Feeling like a thrown out rag doll.
“Stop it, Daddy.” She whispers.
But Megan knows no one hears.
She tightly closes her eyes,
And prays for God to take away the fears.
She hears the cries of her mother,
And all the rage of her dad.
She wishes she had inner strength,
But inside all she is, is sad.
Some days she stands up and fights,
But that only makes it worse.
Will she ever find a solution?
Or is this some evil curse?
Her dad claims he loves them,
And this is not his fault.
If they listen to him,
Will all this come to a halt?
Surely abuse can be stopped ended for Megan.
These days I think of Chloe,
Standing in front of the mirror.
She is looking at the “fat”
And the weight she has begun to fear.
Ribs pressing against her skin,
And her face as white as paste.
Her hip bones seemingly awkward and huge,
Compared to her tiny waist.
But Chloe doesn’t see this person,
In the mirror, standing there.
She sees an ugly girl,
With nothing there to wear.
When people say, “you are so skinny”,
She begins to smile.
The hunger inside dies down,
At least for a little while.
Chloe tells them, “I am not hungry”
Knowing one day she’ll face her doom.
And when she is forced to eat,
She immediately goes into the bathroom.
Jogging, running, and exercising,
She feels so very light.
Counting every calorie,
And stepping on the scale at night.
Surely eating disorders can be cured for Chloe.
These days I think of Devon,
And the teddy tucked under her arm.
She looks at all the cuts on her body,
But she really enjoys the harm.
Her eyes are red and puffy,
From crying for endless days.
She wants to end it all,
And hopes she will die where she lays.
The lights in her room are dim,
Her hand tightly curled around little pills.
She doesn’t know what will happen,
But she is heard this drug kills.
She feels so alone inside,
And wishes she had a friend.
She feels all the pain inside,
And hopes this is the end.
“I love you, Mom and Dad,
Know you could not have stopped this.
If I could do anything,
I would give you one last kiss.”
Surely suicide can be stopped for Devon.
These days I think of Cami
And the test she holds in her hand
The little window shows positive
For this is not what she planned
The tears slide down her cheeks
And she thinks about what she has done
She would do anything in her power
To take back that night of fun
She thinks about her options
And the choices she’ll make
She thinks about this person
And the strength this will take
“Why did I do this?”
She screams into the night
“What is going to happen?
Will I be alright?”
She knows she is just a child
And she can’t do this alone
But who can she tell
How much can she make known?
Surely pregnancy can be prevented for Cami
These days I think of teenagers,
Struggling to overcome everything.
The things life throws at them,
And what tomorrow may bring.
They are in a hurry to grow up,
And forget all of the past,
Then they reach adulthood,
And they will they hadn’t grown up so fast.
Surely adolescence can be survived by all of us.
