alone

'we have such plans for you honey,"
they always said,
"you can do anything"
she reached for the moon
but didn't land among the stars

an honors student,
diligent about her academics,
valedictorian, all that.
you could never tell from looking at her now.

the defeated look on her sullen face
as she lay on the bathroom floor
shivering from the dirtied, freezing tiles,
brought tears to the eyes of those who knew her.

college proved to be too much
for the brilliant scholar.
she had no friends,
she never slept,
she worked constantly.
heavy bags formed under swollen eyes
sunken cheeks showed bones nearly protruding

when was the last time this girl ate?
even she could not remember.
had she bathed recently?
it didn’t matter.
when was the last time someone called to check on her?
all too often.
she never picked up the phone.

that’s why, when she died,
nobody checked on her for weeks.
her family was used to missed phone calls
but eventually became concerned.
at her funeral, her high school teachers cried,
her parents mourned the loss of their star,
but not a single friend attended.
she was too busy trying to succeed,
she never talked to any of the other kids
and had no friends.
she was utterly alone.