Ghosts of the Living

This is a poem about many people I know, it may be about you.

This is about a boy I know

Who appears to show an aura of confidence and success

one who makes all wonder and admire

but lives under the mountain of expectations

which he tries to carry like Atlas holding up the world

but is instead getting crushed by it.

He is a ghost

This is about a girl I know

Who spends all of her hours working and studying

giving all she can and achieving much

hungering for approval and love

but all her father can see is that it's an A- not an A.

She is a ghost

This is about a boy I know

Who despite having having friends who support him

refuses to believe in himself and speaking up

and is trapped in between the need to make new friends

and the fear of talking to strangers.

He is a ghost

This is about a girl I know

A true friend, one who could brighten the day of any she met

no matter how dim

but she is scorned and despised

because one day she made the mistake of saying

"I'm not mormon."

She is a ghost

This is about a boy I know

Who is wondering how he fits into life

and how life fits into him

who sees his only friend as a bitter bottle of beer

plagued with memories of regrets

as he watches his sibings accomplish what he thought he never could

while ignoring what he has done and helped along the way.

He is a ghost

This is about a stray cat I know

No more than a few months old, the cutest thing you will ever see

left to die on its own in death's winter snow

all attempts to help and shelter are met with fear

until the snow makes it to weak to run

it experienced warmth and caring

but ran away from the first love it ever knew.

That cat is now a ghost.

This is about a boy who is tired

Tired of self loathing

Tired of seeing opportunities pass him by

Tired of not know if his love is mutual or unwanted

But most of all

Tired of seeing the ghosts of the living

And of being one of them.