Lost Souls

By Julissa Ozuna

When you put others before yourself, your oxygen masks will be lost. You cannot feign your own happiness, therefore you need to learn how to love yourself.

Those who cannot love themselves suffer the cost,
And feel pain, 
When their oxygen masks are lost.

When the way you feel is tossed,   
It can feel as though you’re going insane, 
Those who cannot love themselves suffer the cost.

Shedding tears that turn to frost,
Hoping that you’re not to blame,
When your oxygen mask is lost. 

Trying to keep everyone happy at any cost, 
You try to feign
happiness knowing that those who cannot love themselves suffer the cost

Stop letting yourself be bossed, 
By people who aim
to keep you from loving yourself because those who cannot love themselves suffer the cost,
And their oxygen masks have already been lost.

Process

The poem “Lost Souls” is inspired by the struggles of mental health and is meant to showcase how many tend to live their lives trying to please others. Although helping others is important, “Lost Souls” is a poem that expresses the negative effects when one crosses the line and consistently puts others before one’s self.