I Want to be Seen

 Trapped in Darkness,
Blinded by light,
Surrounded by those
Who don't know my name. 

They don't see me,
Don't even acknowledge me,
Yet I'm supposed to believe
That they'll mock me and sneer.

I've walked all my life
Invisible and unnoticed,
Ignored by those 
Who have better things to do.

I can scream and yell,
But that won't change much.
I know that,
But why do I rage inside?

Why do I feel like a toddler
Deprived of a delicious snack?
Why do I feel like a diva
Stripped of her time in the sun?
Why do I feel like the world
Only wants me because I'm a worker,
Not a thinker,
Not a doer?

I was raised to believe
That I could be special and interesting.
Even as an adult
Part of me still believes that.
I still believe that one day,
In a far distant future,
Everyone will know 
Who I truly was, once upon a time.

I want to be seen.
Is that so much to ask?
Is it too much to want someone
Who knows who you are?
Everyone around me
Has someone who loves them,
Someone who knows
When they're angry or sad.
Everyone I see
Has a dream they've fulfilled,
A life that gave them 
Everything they could have wanted.

Trapped in darkness,
I hear the voices of the lost.
The voices of those 
Who are invisible, like me.
Why doesn't the world want to see us?