The Woman

A little girl sits in a corner

Hiding her eyes 

Crying 

Using her hair to hide her face 

Daddy comes up 

He’s angry 

She did something 

What? 

Does it matter? 

She always does something 

Daddy is angry and she is hurt 

As always 

Just another day 

Except 

Except it’s not Daddy anymore 

Someone new now that he died 

Same control 

Same hurt 

New person 

Why is the girl here? 

Why doesn’t she leave? 

This isn’t Daddy 

Why deal with it when it isn’t him? 

And besides, there’s a child now 

Daddy was wrong and so is the new person 

The child doesn’t deserve this 

Neither does the girl 

The woman 

She’s a woman now 

Not a child 

She has a child 

For the child she leaves 

For the child she says ‘No more’ 

For the child she stands up 

I decided to leave 

I took my chances alone 

I grew up, grew away, and am learning to love myself 

I don’t need them anymore 

I am the girl