i lost my girlhood
i lost my girlhood when the numbers started to matter
running for fun
to running to look like the other girls
i lost my childhood
i lost my childhood when mom and dad started fighting
family dinners every night
to eating alone at the dinner table
i lost my dreams
i lost my dreams when i had to sell my horse
money was tight
and mom couldn’t buy herself new clothes
¨look on the bright side¨
my therapist says
¨focus on the good¨
the quote on the dull scratched bulletin board reads
but how
in such a tainted tragic world
with corrupt politicians and rising waters
school shootings and carbon emissions
can we grow
because each toll the clock ticks
we grow backwards
