The Girl
He touched me there, under my clothes
Where his hands shouldn’t be
I craved the feelings, warmth and love
That somehow set me free
But somewhere past, along the line
That girl stopped being me
Becoming someone who’d endured
With no identity
People tried so very hard
To help me see this girl
No one bothered to ask me if
She was in my world
She was someone who’d faced more pain
Than any child should face
Her ability to just survive
Was her saving grace
I knew that it was not her fault
That she had been through hell
I even understood why she
Decided not to tell
But she and I are not one
I do not share her pain
No matter how many folks
Say we are the same
I am abstract, far removed from
Trauma that was done
None of it is real right now
When mem’ries vaguely come
My mind lets go of everything
Except that little girl
Even though she isn’t me
I still am sad for her
But all that said, leave me alone!
I’ll deal in my own way
You can’t make me be who I’m not
At least not for today