Do the insane care too much?
When they think of something
And they wonder how others might feel
Ricocheting back and forth between thoughts like these

Do they keep it all in?
Cause if they say it out no one understands
And they force it all down with one deep breath
Pushing and pushing as thoughts fill up

Does it drown them?
Swimming in the whirlpool of unwanted thoughts
And they struggle to keep afloat
But they’re so deep down that no one sees them

Are they mad?
For trying to keep the world happy
While they fight for their right to be here
And losing it all to the fact that no one cares

Do the insane care too much?
In a world so hopeless that all everyone thinks about is themselves
And we smile and nod like everything’s fine
We reach out from time to time for a recognition
But no one sees
And we shy away
Pulling back into ourselves
Folding up
Backing down
Till we let go
And let
All the unwanted thoughts of the world
Drown us.

Kerene Ng is a 21-year-old girl living in Singapore. She lives in words, be it reading or writing, and she sometimes forgets where the real world starts and where it ends. She’s still trying to find her purpose in this world one step at a time. She interned with Yahoo Singapore and is taking a gap year from university. She graduated from Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media.

Cassoday Harder is a twenty-year-old photographer inspired by youth, femininity, and summer. View more of her work on Flickr or visit her website.