By Jordan Silver

I’m not gonna tell you not to kill yourself because it’ll make your parents sad
Or because you have so much to live for
I’m not gonna tell you you’re selfish because I know you’ve heard it
over and over
I’ve been where you are
I’ve been who you are
So here are some real reasons not to kill yourself

Don’t kill yourself because death might be drowning in an ocean with
hundreds of large jellyfish
for the rest of forever

Don’t kill yourself because you might fail and be paralyzed for the rest of
your life
Who will take care of your hair?

Don’t kill yourself because your entire life will be reduced to a statistic
You’ll become one of the millions who kill themselves each year

Don’t kill yourself because you’ll regret jumping halfway down
Or pray you’ll wake up after drinking something you shouldn’t have
You’ll desperately try to keep the life in your body after you try to pull
it out
Or you’ll realize how much reality matters to you once you can’t tell what
is and isn’t

And if none of this matters to you
If nothing matters to you
If you’re not afraid of pain
Or what might come next
Don’t kill yourself
Because you can die later
But you can only live now

Honorable Mention: Jordan Silver
Drew High School