Portrait

You can tell me all the things that I have done

You can sing about the what nots'

And all of the negative outcomes

Because,

You see, these are the things that appears on the surface

And none of what lies beneath

Cause nobody talks about the quiet things

That have happened to me

Like the middle school teacher who took away my virginity

Or the best friend who introduced me to ecstasy

You know the one who secretly put it in my drink

Or how about the night my dad took my mom away from me

These are the things that are held quietly underneath

Hiding the beauty that you don't see

This undesirable portrait that the world has painted of me

The reason why I have done all of these negative things

The reason why I have gotten myself into

This very peculiar predicament

Leaving me in places that I should not be

Walking through the valleys that has slowly engulfed my soul

Enslaved to memories of old

That has latched on to me

Refusing to let go

So,

You can tell me things that I know I've done

But until you walk in my shoes

You will never see the things that I've overcome

Like the uncle who introduced me to alcohol

When I was turning one

Who didn't even care about the damage that was done

Or the day when I learned the boogeyman was real

And the what not's that lived in the back alleyways

Are the reason why I learned disappointment at an early age

And the darkness in the corner was not the place to play

And all of the negativity is what left me this way

And the portrait that this world has painted of me

Will never be a portrait of beautiful things

Because my past is what the world sees

Not the beauty hidden behind all of the negativity

The incredible person that I have come to be

A colorful portrait of beautiful things!

Dee S. Willis 2014