Carli Ruiz

1., 2.

Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re okay.

Watch as I fall and cry a million tears,

Watch as I put on the same mask everyday,

Watch as I suffer, the pain from many years,

Watch as my exhausted soul slowly decays.

I know you’re like me -- controlled by puppeteers,

Pretending everyday like you’re not broken,

Controlled by your mind -- soul being unspoken.

I’m drowning in my mind -- an ocean of thoughts,

I’m sinking, chains refusing to let me float.

Falling in an abyss -- Forever distraught,

It seems this depression is the worst cutthroat --

I tried running and escaping -- I was caught.

And now I sit with the letter that I wrote,

Concentrating on the path my life will take.

Is life worth it if my happiness is fake?

Carli Ruiz, currently a senior attending Dunellen High School, is a hardworking student, hoping to achieve her dreams of going into business and creating a career out of writing. An eighteen-year-old with high ambitions for the future, Carli is a quiet girl ready to embark on the journey that will lead to her, hopefully, successful future. Carli is a writer hoping to appeal to those who face different issues in their lives that nobody talks about -- she hopes to reach people by writing about topics that people ignore or refuse to discuss. Carli enjoys writing about important subjects including the downsides and effects of mental health, as well as the suppression and pain of love and the loneliness of the world. Carli's main focus, is to reach her readers and express what needs to be said about the serious topics of the world. She hopes to educate those around her, one person at a time, regardless of how long it takes.