“can you see me?”
ocean eyes
[digital drawing by bryn jaros ‘27]
[poem by zoey rumbaugh ‘26] You never noticed. Only what you wanted to You never noticed the quiet tears her unspoken fears. But you noticed her keeping you at bay, so you punished her for trying to pull away. You never noticed her soul draining, her fake smile waning. You just noticed her slip ups with her grades, and struggles with meeting the guests with a happy face. You never noticed her drifting away, until it was too late. But you noticed the dishes in the sink, and the uncleaned plates. You never noticed how she sought your approval and got your unknown refusal. You did notice how your yelling affected her, and kept doing it to control her. You never noticed her favorite color how much she lived in techno color. You did notice her day dreamsthen destroyed and replaced them with regimes. You never noticed what she cared about what she dreamed about. You just noticed she was pulling through and wasn’t turning out like you. You didn’t notice her sad songs, that went on for so long. You just noticed her quietness, and met it with violence. You never noticed how hard she tried, to be perfect for your pride. You just noticed her flaws, and forgot about her beauty. You never noticed how much she loved and adored you looked up to you. You just thought having her hate you was better better than having her love you. But what you didn’t notice was that she noticed she noticed everything. Because she still loves you. And still wishes wishes you will notice what you always missed Her. Just her. She wishes you noticed her.
burn
29
