This is a poem I wrote when I was 14, in my freshman year of high school. It’s the first time I remember being taken over by words when writing poetry – they just poured out onto the page, without much conscious thought or effort on my part. It is, to this day, one of my favorite things I’ve ever written.
Who is out there?
Who is hiding my fears?
Who is out there?
Who is catching my tears?
They never dribble off my chin
Or drip onto my nose
They never slip slide down my cheeks
Or moisten my rough clothes
You wish your name was up on the marquee
But it’s not – and it never will be
I am the show’s producer, director, and star
You?
Nothing but an extra
You say you know the answer
But did I ask a question?
You say you know the way
But do I really need directions?