A frightened young woman without a place,
Became too afraid to show pain on her face.
She was all too obsessed with holding her head high,
And feared the vulnerability that comes with seeing one cry.
Convinced that she needed to be perfect to be accepted,
She repeatedly told the world,”I’m fine” assuring them her agony had been intercepted.

To an outsider looking in, she had it all together,
But beneath the shell, she was as unstable as the weather.
She feared her peers would learn her past,
And judge her from a childhood swarming with gast.
Popular pastimes for other little girls were marionettes and rouge,
While she was cowered away trying to cover her bruise.
The nights stand out in memory when her friends were doing math,
While she was too busy protecting her brother from mother’s wrath.

A strong independent woman finally found her place,
No longer afraid, her pain has brought her grace.
She has learned the art of forgiveness,
And willingly accepts that the world isn’t full of stillness.
In accepting the world for what it is, she is able to breathe,
No longer feeling defeated by every breach.