Die or smile?

by moon1

Published October 15, 2026

E - Everyone

In My Poetry

>If everything is going to hurt me,
and everyone is going to hate me,
or someone is going to judge me,
do I need to die or smile?

>If everyone says I'm not kind,
if anyone calls me useless,
or someone says I'm not important,
do I need to die or smile?

>If everyone shouts at me until I cry,
if anyone tells me to go away,
or someone stabs my heart with their sharp words,
what am I supposed to do?
Die or smile?
Or should I die with a smile?

Comments & reviews · 3
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Renwritessss Review
Renwritessss wrote a review Review · 5h ago

i actually really like how this poem shows someone struggling with the way other people treat them and how it feels like theyre stuck between being hurt and pretending everything is okay. the repeated question of whether they should die or smile is honestly really powerful because it makes you think about how someone can be in so much pain but still feel like they have to hide it from everyone else. i also like how the poem repeats similar lines in each part because it shows that its not just one thing hurting the person but lots of different things building up until they dont even know what theyre supposed to do anymore

the way the writer uses words like useless and not important really makes the poem feel personal because those are the kinds of things that could stay in someones head for a long time even after the person who said them has forgotten about it. i think the line about someone stabbing their heart with their sharp words is also really effective because it compares emotional pain to physical pain and shows how much words can actually affect someone. sometimes people act like words arent a big deal but they can genuinely hurt someone more than people realise

i also think the ending is really interesting because asking if they should die with a smile makes the poem feel even more heartbreaking and leaves the reader thinking about what the person is going through. the contrast between dying and smiling is what makes the whole poem stand out to me because smiling is usually seen as something happy but here it feels more like hiding pain or trying to make everyone else think youre fine when youre really not

overall i think this poem does a good job of showing how exhausting it can be when someone feels judged or unwanted by everyone around them and how being treated badly can make someone question their own worth. i think the message is important because nobody should have to feel like they need to pretend theyre okay just to make other people comfortable and people should be more careful with how they treat others because you never really know what someone is dealing with

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anvesha01 Review
anvesha01 wrote a review Review · 8h ago

From you poem, I can relate the feeling when I am hurt by someone's words or actions deeply but cannot say a single word or express how I feel. How I have to choose to simply ignore and move on for the sake of not dragging the situation but the scar stays, the feeling of hurt never go away fully. I like your poem.

moon1 replied · 8h ago

Tq

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Sladesheppard
Comment
Sladesheppard commented Comment · 12h ago

This is so understandable

moon1 replied · 12h ago

Yeah



It doesn’t smell old, it just smells like a bad idea.
— James Hoffman