The Cycle Child

A cycle child
Is hard to understand
If you've not been there

Her shoes are filled
One for the girl
One for the woman

She got stuck in a cycle
When barely eleven
Not even realizing
What was happening

A couple years pass
The cycle isn't broken
Her mother watches
And begins to worry

A sparkle in her eyes
As she looks to the good
The happy side of life
As any innocent girl would

Two more years
Another new home
The cycle continues
Her mother's fear worsens
The girl starts to notice
That something was amiss

Spiraling downward
Her happiness faded
Not completely gone
But very close to it

She dawns a mask
Of sheer happiness
Often she slips up
And frowns for a moment
But quickly recomposes
Before someone sees

These last three years
Had lots of changes
The Cycle Child hurts
But she's working on breaking it
The cycle must end

So if you think you know her
You understand the Cycle Child
Look a little longer
For it's hard to know someone
Who doen't know themself

~44 lines
10/1/2010