There are things deeper and darker than this,

I know cause I’ve been there before.

You wear a mask to convince yourself that you are okay,

But the sad truth is,

You’re not.

When you’re alone in your room,

Your mask comes off,

And your tears are revealed.

And you can’t see,

But my mask is cracked.

And so is theirs.

They were cracked from a weapon called words,

Each stamping us with a large print that separates us from others.

When the girl called “fat” was diagnosed with bulimia because she wants to be pretty, For you.

When the prettiest girl is called “ugly” and tries to make herself prettier, For you.

When the boy, the one sitting right next to you, is called “worthless” because he is different, but isn’t himself anymore, For you.

Everyone being labeled with a word that sticks like wet clothes,

Clinging onto us,

Holding us tight and making us uncomfortable in our own skin.

That girl you called “weird” and “goth” is now battling herself.

She smiles at you and everyone else,

But that is a wall.

She can’t help but look in the mirror and see a freak because of your words.

She sees someone foreign looking back,

With a weird haircut, a large stomach, and scars cover her.

What she doesn’t see is that she is beautiful, her stomach is small, but she is still covered in her collection of scars.

She was still hurt from your words.

They built up her wall,

And one day her wall became to high,

Toppling over onto her.

When the labels become too much,

Depression steals us away,

Convincing us that the scale is our enemy,

And starving ourselves is the greatest weapon.

That the word “love” is like a book without words,

And the word “stop” is like a draft of energy to poise us deeper into a state of mind that cannot fathom anything.

When the days that seem to never end drag me to my bed to tell me it's time to get some rest,

My insomnia sweeps me up and dances me around with the sweet feeling that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

When the night is nearly over it kisses me good bye and returns me back to my room where depression waits.

As I fall into bed depression follows laying with me and rocking my head with the thoughts of death and loneliness.

I've always wondered if others feel like me,

With that feeling of constant loneliness despite your friends being right beside you,

Or that feeling like your best isn't good enough for anyone and you should just stop trying,

I wonder if they feel like they aren't even worth the air they breathe.

I wonder if they understand that after a day full of the crap taken from others,

That I feel like I'm not worth my air.

But no matter,

Depression my beloved is always here.

It follows me to school and to home when I'm there.

My friends have learned that it is not a passing thing,

That I am not okay,

That I feel like I’m falling.

But the truth is,

I am not falling,

But rather floating.

And soon I will fly.

Because now,

They make me smile,

The real kind of smile.

And she looks up to me,

Just as siblings do.

And I,

I can finally say,

I'm happy,

And mean it.

Depression is a serious topic,

A battle which many people have faced and continue to face.

1 in 8 teens are diagnosed with depression and only 30% of them receive treatment.

Most kids with depression go unnoticed,

They're left to suffer through the hardships.

But they shouldn't have to go through this alone,

So be there,

Be the shoulder to cry on,

The Ray of sun through the storm.

Because there is something that you can do,

Something that we can do.