I once knew a girl who wore glasses and watched The Simpsons when she got home from school.
And always did her homework on Friday nights.
She went to movies with her mom and ate popcorn by the pound
And played soccer with her dad in the park and he would let her win.

I once knew a girl who cried after her first day of middle school but forgot about it the next day.
And begged her mom to go shopping with her every weekend.
She loved swimming in grandma’s pool
And didn’t care when her mom made her wear that ugly one piece.

I once knew a girl who wore blue eyeliner to school
Because she thought that’s what everyone else was doing.
She scribbled in her notebook every night thinking she was going to be a poet
And ate Chinese food every time her friend slept over.

I once knew a girl who started peering through the mirror
Trying to ignore the reflection by running away from her parents.
She was out every weekend
And never texted her mom where she was.

I once knew a girl who stepped on the scale every morning
Letting an inanimate object decide her mood for the day.
She hid in the library at lunch
And let herself disappear.

I once knew a girl who lied at every chance she got
Because it was the only way to reach her goal.
She stayed in bed all day—not sleeping but merely dreaming
And wore only baggy sweatshirts, even in 90 degree weather.

I once knew a girl who went away for four weeks
Against the recommendation of her doctors and her sisters.
She still remembers the look on her father’s face when he came back for her a week early
And said nothing while she cried in the backseat of the car for two hours.

I once knew a girl who couldn’t stop trying
And never gave up, even when she didn’t see the point in going on.
She listened to her doctors and searched through her mind for the root of the problem
And slowly let the scars on her body heal.

I once knew a girl who was sad.

I think she’s happy now.