Through my seventeen years
Through my childhood
Through all the screaming
And all the fighting
Through all the tears
And all the pain
Through all these things
That has made me the person I am today

My lesson learned
Was one that I will never forget
Dealing with all the abuse
Mentally and physically
From the man who was once said to love
Being put down day after day
All I can remember
Is the hurtful words
He use to say

There is not a day that goes by
That I do not think of these things
And even though they are memories
That most would think to forget
Remembering each rough day
Makes me stronger bit by bit
Because of these memories
My personality had changed

I am a person who knows
What it is like to cry
Day in and day out
What it is like to hurt
From the inside out
What it is like to be abused
And what it is like to feel the pain

This is the past
That has brightened my future
Through all the wrong ways
These memories will always be
Please do not feel bad for me
Because this is what has made me, me

The bad has sculpted
A bigger heart
To be able to provide
The love and care that I never had
My hopes and dreams have grown
Through everything
And wondering what life will bring next
This is what once was
And what I will never be
Because life goes on
To be more than what it use to be

I refuse to let people see the hurt in me
I refuse to be seen without a smile
And to let my head hang low
Because I have been through the worst
And I know
It only gets better from here