By Mahathi Yangala
What do I do to make you see me?
I brought you roses,
Painted you rainbows,
Did my homework,
Ate my fruits.
Your eyes — glued to the book,
Its cover duller than my workbook.
What do I do to make you see me?
I bruised my knee,
Threw out my toys,
Punched my best friend
’Cause he called you mad.
You're out there looking at the sky —
While my cries go unheard, sitting right beside you.
What do I do to make you see me?
I recollect every smile we shared,
Every word uttered,
The lullabies I hear no more.
I swirl around you
Like the wishful bee
Hoping his efforts would impress his queen —
Only to be
A co-member
Of the rejected crew.
What do I do to make you see me?
’Cause when I look at you, all I see
Is a woman I call my mom,
A person I once knew,
Whose eyes never meet mine anymore.