Start Again

They see happy
A smile, a laugh
When really behind the eyes
There's tears and sorrow
Because you can't explain
To a 13 year old girl
That her baby brother has died
Before he ever had a chance to be held

They see bright stars
In her eyes
When really they're clouded
By doubt and self-disbelief
Because you told her
Her writing would go nowhere
She shouldn't follow her dreams
Just give up

They see a world of innocence
And have no idea that it was stolen
By someone she loved
Who she thought loved her
Until he forced her to give him everything
Not realizing that love doesn't cause bruises
Scars that will never go away
That nobody ever saw

They see a life of Joy
While she hides a life of pain
Behind closed doors
A shelter but never a home
Parents who destroyed a baby girl
Until she was barely breathing
Thinking she'd be nothing
But they had no idea

She has a light in her heart
That is brighter than the sun
Lifting all those around her
To a place nobody even knew existed
She has a dream and a hope in her soul
That people have started to notice
Despite her past
This girl created herself a new destiny