Every day passes
reminding me of things to be learned
I do not know about life as an adult sees it
I only know as a teenager and child
what life is meant to be

Today I learned of love
and the falsities it bears
I do not know its true meaning
or the reason I find it never true

I do not know how to tell a good friend from bad
we all talk behind each other’s backs
I see not me in the mirror
but a teenager who is too fat or utterly ugly

Today I learned of drugs
and of all the feelings they bring
I experimented just a little
and now I wish for more

If everybody goes through the torment of teen pain
and they hear the much defeating snickers and comments
why are adults so cruel as to say
these are the best years of our lives?

I walk
in the shadows of others,
blinded by smiles and grades.
I walk
by myself,
scared to bask in the
sun,
to be noticed,
to be cared for,
scared to have the path
I’ve walked down so many times
before
altered.

When I look into these eyes
I find things no one else ever catches a glimpse at

I see this fear of judgment
that makes her cower at confrontation

I see this hopelessness for the future
that make her choices her burden alone

I see this desperate need for companionship to make her strong
in the savage world of humans

I see this courage
caged in her thoughts of inferiority

I see these thoughts of abandonment
that make her cling to anything

I see this devotion to her beliefs
that makes her fear death

And then I turn away from the mirror and walk away.

Laughter filled the air
and everyone turned to stare
at the friends whose smiles
Lit up the town for miles
Alice was beautiful
with eyes so delightful
her red hair would flow
whenever the wind would blow
a radiant smile, replaces the sun
on a night’s moonless run
Alice had a problem
she didn’t care to solve them
She laughs and tilts the bottle back
knowing with this her worries would lack
Dancing her life away
she claims she’s ‘fine’ anyway
For just this once, it was one too many
But I told her she shouldn't have any
Those smiles fade to frowns
and worry creeps into their brows
as she fell to the floor
and police beat down the door
Screams rise in the air
while people run everywhere
Alice just lay there
when she had looked so happy
fighting a life so ******

Once upon a time
Far far away
Once upon a time in a dream
Once upon a time I was Daddy’s little girl
Once upon a time that was me

In my dream I was Daddy’s little girl
In my dream he loved me
In my dream we did things together
Like ran races
Jumped rope
I can still feel the cold metal chains of the swing in my hands
But that’s not real
Nope
It was once upon a time that
Once upon a dream
Far far away
That was me

In my dreams I was Daddy’s little girl
In my dream he loved me
He took me places
Like ice cream shoppes and baseball games
I can still hear the crack of the bat
He took me places like roller skating and Broadway plays
What do you think of that?
But it’s not real
It’s once upon a time
Once upon a dream
Far far away that was me

He treats me like garbage
To the gutter I go
Why he abuses me like this
I’ll never know
I’m hurtin’ from his cold words
The cruel things he said
They ring in my ears
They burn in my head
And I’m choking on his false truths
I can’t deal with his lies
God knows how much I’ll take
He’s dust in my eyes
Every time I speak
He throws another fit
His self-righteous act
Makes me wanna spit