It's Heavy - By Lyric Sikkin

Written By: Lyric Sikkin

Category: Poem

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Lyric Sikkin's poem "It's Heavy" is a powerful contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, showcasing the depth of creative expression in the poetry category. This evocative piece resonates with themes of societal and personal burdens, exploring the weight of environmental concerns, human rights, and the struggles of modern life. Sikkin's work captures the complexity of our world with poignant imagery and raw emotion, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences and the collective challenges we face.

About the Work

"It's Heavy" delves into the profound struggles that burden individuals and society as a whole. The poem's tone is both contemplative and urgent, using vivid imagery to depict the suffocating effects of pollution, the weight of societal expectations, and the personal battles with perfectionism and oppression. Sikkin's literary style is impactful, capturing the reader's attention with a rhythmic flow and candid reflections that challenge the status quo and urge for awareness and change.

It's Heavy

Original Submission by Lyric Sikkin

It’s Heavy

By Lyric Sikkin

Thin fibres fused together into wood picks,

Sticks bolted together, weathered by time,

Sometimes splintered, sometimes soft;

Hollow within,

Holding onto its roots for support,

But once it breaks that wood will be sharp,

And it is so heavy to carry all of these leaves day after day,

Plastic in the air, constantly in the way.

Its heavy;

Trying to breathe,

For I cant through all this smog;

Suffocating on the see through bag wrapped around my face,

I gag as acid rises up my throat from the chemicals in my lungs,

Drowning on the oil spill from the moat beneath my skin,

Choking on the tears streaming my face,

And shallow sobs that leave me from seeing,

Seeing the animals all dying in the streets from the disease that we've created,

A world wide massacre that leaves nothing unfated;

Trudging through these garbage filled streets,

There is no air from the lack of trees,

Flowers a miss at the loss of bees;

Yet no one sees,

Trudging along like soldiers, appealed by disease;

All these franchises-

“Move to North America and you will be free,”

Now isn't that the biggest load of propaganda, that everyone has yet to see,

Everyone is dying because we have built a toxic disease,

Maybe that's the point,

And it makes me question-

Did suiciders get creative,

How will we all fit behind bars,

Cant kill yourself but you can kill the world,

Cant kill people because that's murder and murder is wrong,

Yet at this rate we're gonna need someone who can actually figure out how to get to mars,

Help us to start over, yet maybe we should all just go to waste, for you know what they say-

Humans never learn from history;

The solution to pollution, after all, was never a mystery.

Its Heavy;

Looking around at this divide;

His red blood and her red blood isn't the same,

For he must be deceiving her because of his shade;

Shes white washed because she chooses to look a certain way,

Yet you wear gap merch each and every day,

He is an idiot because he aspires to have his hair the same way,

Everyone's fighting over how someone sings rap songs and what words can and cannot be said; When there is a young boy dying in the streets,

A girl being tortured by police;

We learn about racism in history,

But is it really history?

Now a days everyone just looks away,

Too scared to say the wrong thing when the worst you can do is say nothing and call it a day,

Let innocent people walk about like targets on display;

Die and have their story turned into a decay of character,

So let's all sit in silence and wait until we’re all the same

And every and anyone different has been bombed away.

Its heavy;

Being around you,

I like my solitude, yet you mock me, thinking it's sad to be alone,

Your words flow out on a haze of ego,

It makes my nose burn and my vision blur,

Now your hand is in my hair and your leg on mine,

Continuously pushing and crossing the line;

I hate touch but more than that i'm scared of yours,

Yet I don't want to admit that I was wrong,

And you just won't take no for an answer;

Im burning up, turning, now throwing up,

Yet you don't get the cue,

Rumors now have grew about me and you;

Following me like a lost dog,

Your a clog in my conversations,

Cutting off my relations,

Now i'm pleading on my knees but no one ever sees;

Now you're asking me if you can come over to my refuge,

The only place where I am free,

From you,

Yet again you don't get the cue;

Your boring me and annoying me,

Your a pest that I can't escape,

Ignoring my pleads and complaints,

Forever in your restraints.

Its heavy;

Trying over and over and over and over and over again to be perfect;

I spent 24 hours and more working,

My fingers sore,

My head is hazy but I refuse to gain the name lazy,

My stomach aches from staying up late, but I refuse to make a mistake;

My mom told me I was doing too much-

But I wasn't doing enough,

My dad told me he'd be proud of me no matter what as long as I tried my best-

But I took a 60 minute break so this obviously isn’t my best;

My teacher actually gave me 100,

4+,

10 out of 10,

The perfect score;

But I’m not perfect,

I know I am not perfect,

And the work I submitted was not good enough for me;

Flawed by my human hands,

I'm unable to let this be;

I worked so hard but this is worth nothing more then a C,

But if you gave me a C

Tears would flee from my eyes,

Anger would boil within my core,

For what was all of this hard work for;

I did the best that I could,

Why is that not enough,

Why am I not enough,

Why am I never enough?

I am a failure but I deserve an A.

Its heavy;

Being blamed because your in denial;

It's easy for you to ruin the future of many,

Because you are in denial,

You make so many feel worthless and dumb because you

Are vile and privileged,

You preach to me that i'm not doing enough,

I need to devote all my time,

And yet i'll still never be enough;

Always unfit,

Always lacking,

All because you can't teach;

You reach into our lives and strip us of our futures,

Our goals,

Our dreams,

But working 15 hours a week for a 70 just ain't enough for me,

So I'll drop down and hope for my life plans not to flop.

Its heavy;

Having my anger tested once again,

Wasted opportunities because you couldn't do the work on your end,

Too many immunities because of the power that's held;

You are being paid to help me flower and flourish,

But I am left malnourished as you continue to gaslight me;

Ignite me;

Only to get bitter when you finally have to fight me;

You have no right to hold power over my life,

Low and behold behind your clown face,

You are nothing but another sad case-

A woman who wants change,

Couldn't deal with the change,

Couldn't move on from the high school chain;

Now you drain and maintain me to feel complete,

You think it's neat to overpower me, withhold information and talk down to me,

Make me wait, my fate in your hands;

I am not your little creation;

But you don't give a damn you just get the job done and send me on my way,

Calling up your union you ask them for a pay raise,

As I venture this maze alone.

Its heavy;

Discrimination an ever growing seed,

Hurting everyone but those up in unforeseen greed;

No one else is safe, no rights protected,

For my hands must be drenched in greed,

For I'm a teen;

I walk along rows upon rows,

My sticky fingers filling my bag full,

Because I only ever see green;

Corporations full of greedy crooks, don't wanna lose a penny,

Even if it means prosecuting the rights of many;

We all know it's wrong,

But what can you do when power supersedes all;

My anger makes me the bad guy,

My avoidance, my actions, my fight for my rights,

Does nothing but harm me,

Hanging me dry.

Its heavy;

Weighing nothing at all,

Gutted once again just to be filled with coal,

Red sponge turned white,

My tongue is a ghost town-

Of all the words i've said that’ve died,

Words like plants left unwatered,

For you didn't listen to a single thing I've ever said,

Put me in a straight jacket before I was even deemed insane,

Knowing damn well you’d drive me that way;

Push my buttons,

Shave my string limbs to thread,

Make it your mission to screw with my head,

Then when I finally lose it,

You'll play victim instead;

Have her clean up your mess,

Team up and string me up,

Gag me quick so I can say nothing at all,

Shove me down and watch me fall,

Hoping i'll fall into the rat trap you use on them all;

God your still messing with my head,

Because knowing your valid, isn't the same as feeling validated,

And I still feel degraded.

Its heavy;

Knowing you've wasted your life,

Because life is time,

And time is the most valuable thing in this world;

Yet I spent 5 months running my valuables through the mud,

Ran through the shredder along with my worth,

1200 Q cards, so many test reviews,

Quit family, eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning, hygiene, and break time,

Because the only thing that matters is study time;

I can eat when i’m done, sleep when i'm done, see my family when i'm done,

Hang out when I'm done, shower when I'm done,

Except when will I ever be done?

Well I know every part of the mitochondria, every part of the cell,

Can tell you all about every question on the review, but that's not all-

I've memorized extra facts too!

Im done, i'm ready;

But my body is heavy,

Stomach acid grew, magma hills, molten lava spews,

Implosions ricocheting off my walls,

There are holes in my skin and water is getting in,

Sinking to rock bottom, drowning on my own blood but no one can see;

For it's all in my lungs,

As I let out silent screams,

50 questions,

1000 known facts and yet all I can answer is my name;

All my time slipping down the drain;

My best not good enough,

But I knew my stuff;

This is on you,

And I am Done!

There's a flicker in your eye,

The only thing giving away that you're alive,

Malleable flesh pulled taught over wires,

You are moldable, meltable, reflectable,

Cheap-

You are plastic,

We are a plastic population,

Living in polluted plastic homes,

With wee plastic thoughts,

Swimming in plastic sea’s,

We are plastic people,

We break off into sharp pieces,

And then we cut away,

Drag along the bindings of minorities;

But I am made of wood,

I am bare barkless wood,

I break, I splinter, I burn,

And I want to burn it all to the ground.

My blood is sweet,

My heart rate spiked;

I am so sick of eating sugar,

This candy heart no longer tastes sweet,

It tastes bitter;

I just want to be cured,

But no one is willing to listen,

No one can hear-

Just eat your sugar;

Can't talk about

Our human rights because that shit just aint right,

Singing about things we learn in health class-

Told its okay,

But can't sing about it because that's just nasty,

Better to get off on weaklings;

Pin nice girls down in their seats,

I mean if the police can get her then it must be okay;

Preacher in the confession stand told me young boys were okay,

I mean really for the sake of being safe just make sure its a minority,

But oh yeah you cant talk about rape or sexual assault,

Can't discuss the misuse of power and racism of preachers and cops,

Cant bring awareness to gun use, drug use, suicide, or wealth-

Censorship is funny like that,

Makes us feel comfortable,

But really if you feel uncomfortable,

Your part of the problem;

You are the problem;

Censor me again, I dare you!

Pretend like what you see isn't really there,

Feed contradictions to the people like,

Blood to leeches and they will eat it up,

But those who aren't desperate for food,

In the sense of a hunger for excuses,

Won't be fed so casually.

If no one knows,

No one helps,

If no one helps,

Nothings done,

If nothing's done,

Everyone who's good loses;

If we lose we suffer,

And if we suffer we suffer until something changes,

And if nothing changes,

We suffer til death-

We suffer for eternity,

And that;

That's heavy,

And my stick figure has cracked;

So take this god damn weight off of my back.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, is a prestigious event that celebrates the power of words and creativity from around the world. This competition provides a platform for writers and poets to share their unique voices and perspectives, fostering a global community of artists who are committed to exploring and addressing contemporary themes through the written word.

Thank you, Lyric Sikkin, for your thoughtful and compelling poem "It's Heavy," presented for the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Your work highlights pressing issues and personal reflections that resonate deeply with readers. We appreciate your contribution and are honored to feature your voice in this vibrant competition.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.