my pencil falls and my head feels cloudier.

somehow, i can’t comprehend those

two

syllables

that make the world around me feel

cold

like the ice that hasn’t melted.

it starts as an insult used by the jocks on the football team

they throw the word around like the football they hold

and it continues to make its way into class.

the teachers ignore it

like it’s a post-it note flying around

or a message being passed

but my voice speaks

and i feel thunder rolling out.

that word hits like a bullet

speed too fast

and hurts like hell.

why do we treat our words

like they don’t matter

as they make others

fall

into the dark?