It’s been a while since I recognized her
She smiles and laughs but it echoes and bounces off the chamber where my heart once was
I watch from the side as she moves me throughout my day
No one seems to notice that it’s her and not me
I slumber inside of her waiting for just the smallest piece of hope and joy in order to resurface
Dreading the moment when she regains control, forcing me to retreat back into the prison she's built
In there I wait, praying for someone to save me from the shell of a human I’ve become
For I’m but a ghost in the land of the living
Going through the motions, searching for even the smallest piece of joy in life
Because even if I don’t recognize the face in the mirror, in my heart I know who she is.
Me, she’s the sad person I’ve become and together we are hardly living
--Elizabeth, 9th-12th Grade