Why am I Still Here?
Year 11 student, Noah Hull, wrote a poem in response to Raymond Antrobus’ poetry, aiming to explore a fictional character’s feelings of alienation.
WHY AM I STILL HERE?
‘Wish I was there’ – Frank Ocean
I feel like a shadow,
Unseen unless shined upon.
Am I still here?
I’m lingering
Like a bad smell.
Am I still here?
I sit in the living room,
Surrounded by bodies,
Bodies who share the same blood.
We should have a connection, right?
Wrong.
I still sit here, unnoticed.
Invisible in plain sight,
My presence a fading hue,
My voice drowned in noise around me,
Lost in a sea of audio,
Aching for validation.
Am I still here?
Yearning for an embrace,
A touch of warmth and care.
Yet I'm a ghost in their midst.
Am I even sitting in this living room?
I’m here but I’m not.
What did I do to deserve this rejection?
I've learned to wear this cloak,
A shield against the sting,
But each day it grows heavier,
As neglect becomes a chain I wear everyday.
How can they do this to their own child?
Am I still here?
I’m like puzzle missing its pieces,
A story left untold.
I dwell in the background of every scenario,
Feeling unwanted.
Invalidated.
Why am I still here?
by Noah Hull