EXCLUSION FROM
HAPPINESS
it's like being alone
in a crowded room
no way of feeling solace.
they're laughing and talking
and you don't know why.
they're at the top of the hierarchy
and you're close to the bottom.
filled with elation
they're laughing and talking
and you really try
to feel the way they do.
but you've resigned to the silence -
the distraught state of mind.
you now simply ask for others
to just be kind.
you want to feel happy.
but when you've
gone through this much,
perspective goes awry.
their words are not near abusive,
just simply too much.
how can they be this happy,
when you can't even feel enough?
how unfair of them
to not even care.
they should try to take their feelings
and simply just share.
Lily Bonner, 2021