It Starts with a Smile

It starts with a smile… a laugh…a gesture

Every word he speaks appeals to her poetically 

He does everything he can to get her

And she so readily wants love from the man who says she’s pretty

He showers her with attention

And spends every hour with her hoping to leave good impressions

So that she says yes to his question

Prolonging the security of their true love and affection 

Days and weeks fly by fast

She thinks that he defines perfection

Now their bond is official and summer’s coming to an end

His love for her grows deeper

And he continues to sweep his girl friend off her feet so he can keep her

He begins to depend on her and cannot seem to comprehend

The fact that school is coming up

And she has other things she must attend

Sports and clubs and advanced courses

So he enforces that she tell him “where she is, with whom, and when”

She loves her social life

But insecurities take over when he sees that she has other friends

A few more months pass by and she apologizes every day

For reasons that she doesn’t understand but does it anyway

“I’m sorry for not telling you what time I got to school”

“I’m sorry for eating lunch with my best friend instead of you”

“I’m sorry for talking to that boy, he’s helping me with literature”

“I’m sorry for falling asleep last night a little earlier”

He begins to make rules for her- whatever he prefers

He checks her phone incessantly so she leaves it back at home

But this creates problems of it’s own

When He calls her 30 times a day expecting 30 answers

She told him that she wants a break and he responds with “no”

Does he own her? Is it normal for other girls her age to feel controlled?

She’s 16 years old, and is scared to be alone with him

If he gets mad there’s no telling what possibly could happen

So she starts paying secret visits to a councilor for a while

Building up her strength, watching sand fall through the hourglass

And after 2 more months it’s over and she puts him in the past

Meanwhile, she’s now 19 and everything is different

Everything is beautiful and her environment is not hostile

But she still looks back and wishes that she never saw his smile