Trapped in translucence

Trapped in a glass cage where she could see the world moving around her

She pounded the glass, yelled for someone to hear her

A few cast a startled look in her direction

A couple of people even tried to listen 

But her voice was drowned by the deafening sound beyond the cage

And she was alone again unnoticed and cast aside

She doesn’t understand it at first,

Maybe she wasn’t loud enough,

Maybe she should learn to behave differently

Learn to speak up, they advised her

She tried again and again relentlessly

They couldn’t possibly be ignoring her, could they?

At first she fights her feelings,

Chiding herself to rise above her self pity,

Telling herself that it wasn’t their fault

They did listen to her opinions

She was just being delusional and unfair

Then the frustration builds up,

Why couldn’t they listen to her? Notice her?

Dear old insecurity kicks in next

Was she not good enough to be noticed?

And she silently withdraws into herself

She learns to avoid groups even when it was with her friends

They asked her once why she was always so quiet

She smiled shyly, her heart soaring with futile hope

They wanted to be around her and even wanted her to talk!

But the smile slowly fades as she sits lost as they talk over her

She was in the glass cage once again

Always had her arms wide open for a hug anytime they needed her

She realizes slowly that excuses were all she got in return

They didn’t notice her puffy eyes when she walked in that day

Didn’t notice her flinch when they yelled at her

Did not even notice the scar below the wrist that she no longer bothered to hide

She thought it would be different this time

They would want to know what she thought

Her opinions may finally matter

She may have even found the one who put her happiness first

But the glass cage remained sealed shut as the illusion slowly fades once again

People around told her that they loved her 

But they didn’t notice either as she slowly stopped pounding the glass

Asked her how her day was and she learnt to say good because she didn’t want to be a burden anymore

That one dreadful question crosses her mind

Would they even miss her if she was gone?

Time crawls and she learns to rise from the darkness in her mind

She stops doubting if they cared anymore

Sheds the anger and the contempt she had for the world

The world that had never heard her scream when she was all alone

She doesn’t hide in the shadows anymore

Refusing to let them take away the life she deserves

Wore her scars with pride and never again, she promised herself 

She would change to be noticed

Because it wasn’t how hard she pounded on the glass

Or how loud and far her screams could be heard,

Because in the end, she realized -

It was reaching that point on her own where they couldn’t look away from her anymore...