By: Kate O. 

This piece is about my mother and my experience through anxiety and depression. People don’t know how it feels to feel like you’re all alone until you break through. I hope my viewers will try to understand a little more and be more courteous to others suffering from mental health issues. The style is poetic and dark until you get to the end and realize you need hope.

Hon. Mention · Middle School Writing (2021)

Thoughts buzzed around her mind like bees.
Insults stung like hornets, due dates floated around like
butterflies, conversations replayed over and over.
Her head hung under a hood of invisibility as she
plowed through the halls.
She read the same sentence in her textbook over and
over again. Get help, they told her; talk it out and get
over it, they screeched.
Students whispered and gave sad, mournful smiles. Her
eyes were red and her face taut in the mirror.
Forcing herself to talk and let it out. Embarrassed was
written on her forehead in permanent ink.
Summer was spent under a tree, staring at others
smiling as if they had no cares in the world.
Fall was spent trying to rebel and escape from
education.
Winter sent her with tear-stained, crimson cheeks to
each class.
Twice a week she sat on THAT couch with THAT box of
tissues and THAT woman and clamped her mouth shut.
But, over time, anger, grief, jealousy, depression slowly
started to fade from her walls.
Her hair was clean. Her clothes were full of joyful
colors. Her smile was full of warmth.
Spring came and flowers flooded her vision. Flowers
adorned her hair and flowers bloomed from her
fingertips.
A backpack full of books, paints, and bravery carried
her throughout her days, Her blue eyes brightened up
the world and her long brown hair flowed like a rippling
ocean behind her.
She smelled of warm freshly baked cookies and had a
song bird voice as she hummed.
THAT woman waited patiently for her and prepared and
fluffed the pillows on the couch.
The girl walked in and sat down on the couch with tears
streaming down her face.
“What are you feeling?” the woman asked with eyes full
of worry.
“Hope.”