Year 11 student, Noah Hull, wrote a poem in response to Raymond Antrobus’ poetry, aiming to explore a fictional character’s feelings of alienation.

WHY AM I STILL HERE?

‘Wish I was there’ – Frank Ocean

I feel like a shadow,

Unseen unless shined upon.

Am I still here?

I’m lingering

Like a bad smell.

Am I still here?

I sit in the living room,

Surrounded by bodies,

Bodies who share the same blood.

We should have a connection, right?

Wrong.

I still sit here, unnoticed.

Invisible in plain sight,

My presence a fading hue,

My voice drowned in noise around me,

Lost in a sea of audio,

Aching for validation.

Am I still here?

Yearning for an embrace,

A touch of warmth and care.

Yet I'm a ghost in their midst.

Am I even sitting in this living room?

I’m here but I’m not.

What did I do to deserve this rejection?

I've learned to wear this cloak,

A shield against the sting,

But each day it grows heavier,

As neglect becomes a chain I wear everyday.

How can they do this to their own child?

Am I still here?

I’m like puzzle missing its pieces,

A story left untold.

I dwell in the background of every scenario,

Feeling unwanted.

Invalidated.

Why am I still here?

by Noah Hull