"There Is Pressure All Around Me"

Avery
New Underwood Junior High School
Pennington County, South Dakota


There is pressure all around me; there is pressure in the air
Sometimes I feel lost in this pit of deep despair.
I know this is dramatic and dumb, some might say
But there is pressure all around me; I feel it every day.

Want to know why there is pressure inside
It’s because I am expected of things I can’t provide.
It’s hard to say, it’s hard to show
But it seems people only love me if I glow.

There can’t be dust, it must be gold
Sometimes these standards are hard to hold.
My heart is broken, it can’t be fixed
I tried, I hoped, my feelings are all mixed.
I paid the price of pressure itself
I know it’s bad for my health.
I’ve tried to help myself from this pain
I feel that I won’t ever be myself again.
Biting my lip to save my life
Talking back sharpens the knife.
If I say a word
I won’t be heard.
But if I yell, shout or whisper
All I will feel is a painful blister.