By Nicholas Wenzler

Every time I step outside I feel invisible,

like a ghost or a distant memory,

only to be forgotten with the turning of a green light.

Another face in the crowd to be passed by,

a non-existent.

Invisible.

Wishing to be seen

but still wanting to hide,

just one out of eight billion people in the world.

Insignificant.

Noticed for just a fraction of a second,

like an afterthought when you see a flower dying

and you think, “that’s too bad.”

Or a distant star, one out of billions,

only to be noticed after it’s burned out.

And just like that, on to the next.

But is it really that important to be noticed?

To be visible? To be a face in the crowd?

To be someone to remember?

Some would say yes.

Me?

I really don’t know.

For now I’ll stay invisible,

drifting through the crowds of faceless people

like a ghost,

invisible, but still alive.

Nicolas Wenzler is a participant in Megaphone’s creative writing workshop at Onsite, the residential treatment program above Insite.