Idyllic Child

In a silent room lay a woman

Her complexion was timorous and cold

Beyond her horrified features

Wires are in ruin

Tied up, worn and numb

Between slow, heavy breaths

The fear of reflection is there

In hesitation peers behind her

Behind greyed, lonesome memories

A child sat still as water

Looking over the bright autumn hills

Past the creeping discomfort

The little child continued to stare

As the echoes of adults loudened

She gripped her hands

As the smell of fog became present

Her face turned to gold in the eyes of many

The child is extremely worthy

She has the talent of a celebrity

Her beauty emulates that of a model

She is truly a genius

The child will be loved by many

Comments alike continued to louden

Each passing minute unbearable than the last

Her confidence cracked

Revealing the cracked dam of tears

She did not feel worthy

Why was she looked upon?

The girl was so young

On a pedestal of expectations

Memos that did not reflect herself

Notes that would later become footnotes

As the years went on

The echoes became whispers

Whispers became off-putting remarks

She was never golden again

According to others

"Wasted potential"

"Never ended up wonderful"

"Less stellar than I thought"

"Too old to change"

The child began to cry

She was punished for second place

Her eyes stung of failures

Her room a pile of scrapped paper

Parents saddened with disappointed

No one around her was pleased

She was a small star in the sky

But rude reminders awaited

"You were once the bright sun itself"

As the years went by

Parents grew red with impatient

Peers looked the other way

Teachers frustrated with wasted effort

Partners only there out of pity

Her coworkers, uncaring and cold

Friends with turned backs

Her complexion turned a blank slate

She was looked down upon

Inferior, pitiful, once bright girl

Turned failure, second pick, never a bride

Her world around became dysfunctional

To the point of looking past the hills

Wishing to be unseen like the beyond

Looking back she was a tool

Trophy daughter, nothing more

Obedient, analytical student

Never said no in her life

Said yes to the greedy

She sold her childhood

For approval never in reach

Real love never graced her

She trusted no one for her needs

The woman felt like a fraud

Inauthentic to everyone

"Was it worth it?"

It never was.