“Look Away”

Everybody’s got somewhere to be…

Everybody’s got something to see…

But nobody sees the person standing right in front of them.

Heads down, staring at the glow in their hands,

Walking through a world they don’t understand.

Passing by faces like they’re ghosts in the street,

Ignoring the hearts of the people they meet.

Are they scared of the pain they might find?

Or too lost in their own little worlds and minds?

We built a way to connect everyone,

Yet somehow we’re more alone than we’ve ever become.

The unknown scares us, that much is true,

But what scares me more is what we choose not to do.

We see someone struggling, someone in need,

Then look away like they’re something we shouldn’t see.

Look away…

That’s what we’ve learned to do.

Walk past the suffering like it isn’t true.

Say “not my problem,” keep moving along,

While another lost soul wonders where they belong.

But I’ve been there…

I know what it’s like to have nothing left.

To carry the weight of a world on your chest.

And I’d trust the person who’s lived through the pain,

Before someone who’s never stood in the rain.

Because someone who’s lost knows the value of a hand,

Knows what it means when somebody understands.

They know the sting of the words people say,

“You’re just lazy,” while they’re fighting to survive another day.

When you’ve slept beneath a sky full of stars,

When you’ve learned how cold the pavement can be,

You don’t want another person to suffer like you,

You don’t want them feeling invisible too.

But some people break after years of hate,

After every judgment and every cruel phrase.

They build up walls just to make it through,

Because kindness became something they rarely knew.

So when they lash out, when they scream in pain,

Maybe they’re tired of being blamed again.

Maybe beneath all the anger they show,

Is someone who’s hurting more than we know.

When did we decide someone’s worth

Was measured by what they have on this earth?

When did we forget every face we pass

Has a story hidden behind the cracks?

You don’t know their battle.

You don’t know their scars.

You don’t know how close they came to falling apart.

So before you judge…

Before you walk away…

Try asking a question.

Try saying their name.

Don’t look away…

That’s what we need to change.

Stop believing every story people arrange.

Open your eyes, take a moment to see,

The person you ignore could be someone like me.

I’ve been there…

I know what it feels like to disappear.

To stand in a crowd and feel nobody’s near.

And maybe this world can still find a way,

If we choose compassion over looking away.

Maybe we don’t need another reason to fight.

Maybe we just need someone to turn on a light.

A little understanding…

A little humanity…

Because sometimes the smallest act of kindness

Can remind someone they still matter.

Don’t look away.