high school lunch period

sitting in this damn cafeteria
mushed between thirty kids I barely know
they barely know
how much they show
for i'm surrounded by
them
a clump of teenagers
rambling on
and showing off
all the while
my eyes don't wander off
the way she plays with her food
and never eats
the way he wears his headphones
but has nothing connected to them
just so we'll ignore him
or think he's cool
the way they force themselves to like each other
when they both know it won't work
the way she won't stop talking
in fear of losing our attention
the way he acts out
in hopes of getting detention
the way she looks at her teacher
and the way he looks at her
too many one on one conferences
nasty rumors stir
the hats he always wears
in order to look clean
when under his hat
is a bag of weed
to help his self esteem
the way she writes in her journal
drawing to impress
hoping someone will notice
and tell her it's the best
the way he acts tough
in fear of us knowing the truth
that he has a crush on the quarterback
and he's the only one who knew
all the kids blended together
no one opening up
they shouldn't anyway
no one gives a fuck
in this cafeteria
the noise is out of control
the shrinking self esteem
and testosterone takes it's toll
the girl who is shy
and always bites her nails
she's quiet
everyone else talks
silence is the enemy
an unknown emotion
silence isn't ours
it's only adults potion
smushed between thirty kids I barely know
four years later
and this all I have to show
everyone's talking all the time
but never saying anything