What Happened to That Little Girl

what happened to that little girl

that used to giggle

until her cheeks had a red fill?

Free at night like a bird

playing with friends

having a whirl

locked in each day

by the controlling wing

of her parents

Full of laments

wanting to be free

what she used to be

It was all a dream

Wishing, hoping, wishing

for a time alone with her crush

for a night out with her friends

It wasn't all that much

just so they can laugh

but it never came

Now here she is

crying alone, reminiscing about the times

when she wanted to be free

Now she is free from her parents

but something else keeps her trapped

Scars run down her arms like prison bars

trapping it in, holding her from others

keeping it from her friends to save them from her pain

trying her best to keep them free and be not their bane

but they know, and it traps them

They cannot free her

from her prison without her permission

They can only see her fake happiness

to which they tolerate, neither berate nor inquire

for that would make her a liar

One night they catch her

bring her into an embrace

trying to take it from her

trying to make it stop

tears start to fall as she tries to stop

but the tears keep streaming down

looking unseemly in the dyed gown

They break free from her

like when she was a kid

breaking free from her parents

Everything is out now

it feels better

smiling around friends

It isn't just a mask

What happened to that little girl?

She became free, alive, happy

She brought it out

She let go

for the

joy