Why Can't You See

It's like screaming into a void where your voice fades away Looking for a sign any sign begging to stay I'm right here can't you see in the shadows barely breathing Pouring out my heart my soul silently seething It's like the dog barking howling at the moon A desperate cry under this haunting monsoon I'm spelling out my needs my boundaries line by line It's like speaking in tongues or running out of time Feeling neglected unworthy like I'm fading to black You're emotionally attending to them not looking back How can you not see when someone's suffering It's like you're everywhere nowhere buffering Drowning in a sea of faces why can't I be seen In your world I'm just a shadow never been real I'm crying trying my voice is breaking In your universe I'm there but constantly shaking You're a beacon for others their guiding light But in my darkest moments I'm alone fighting the night It makes no sense this selective empathy Surrounded by love yet none for me ostensibly I'm the outlier in your world of care and affection An anomaly craving just a fraction of connection I'm not asking for the world just a moment a glance A recognition of my pain a single chance To be heard to be seen not just another face In this cruel game of neglect I'm losing my place In the noise in the silence I'm a contradiction A story untold riddled with affliction I'm the howling dog the crying soul in the night Begging for a sign for a light for what's right So here I stand my plea in the air Hoping for a change in this emotional warfare In this echo chamber my shouts ricochet Lost in the cacophony day after day Each tear a testament to the silence we breed A garden of neglect from the seeds of your deed You cater to the world a shepherd to the flock But when I bleed out in silence I go into shock It's a paradox this neglect an emotional void Where my cries are silent movies simply ignored and destroyed I'm the phantom in your feast the ghost at your ball In your symphony of empathy I don't exist at all The dog howls to the moon a primal desperate plea A mirror to my anguish why can't you see Why can't you see Why can't you see Me