We don’t talk about money,
we just feel it.
It’s in the way the lights stay off
in rooms nobody’s in.
In the way you calculate groceries
like it’s a math test you can’t fail.
It’s hearing “we’re fine”
and knowing that “fine”
means “don’t ask for anything.”
You learn early
how to want quietly.
How to say
“I don’t really need it”
before anyone can say no.
And you start to measure yourself
in prices.
In sacrifices.
In “maybe next year.”
But somehow,
between hand-me-downs and late notices,
you grow this strange pride
because even with less,
you are still here.
Still trying.
Still dreaming
like money isn’t the only thing
that decides who gets to breathe easy.
Kids Help Phone (KHP) is honoured to share creative content submitted by youth from coast to coast to coast as they Feel Out Loud with us. We thank the Feel Out Loud Community Creator of this piece for their contribution to youth mental health and well-being in Canada. For more information on the Feel Out Loud Community Creator Space and / or how you can submit your own creative content for possible publication, you can visit the submission page.
