You look at me and think I am broken
For you've seen the scars kissing my skin
You think I am jaded
For you've not seen the vibrant places I've been.
You look at me and see
A little girl without a dream
A little girl with no degree.
But if you'd open your heart, open your eyes
You would see

I've been a hiker
Climbing foreign mountain peaks
A swimmer exploring a clear blue wild sea
I've been a lover to a foreign man
I once even had the ring.

I've been a traveler
Asking for directions
Asking which way I should go.
I've been a foreigner in a foreign country,
Oh you've no clue how much I've grown.

You see the slight limp
Of my tired right leg
My hand rubbing the pain away.
You see the scars wrapped around my ankle
Snaking its way up to my knee.

You see the lines
Trailing from my tired eyes
The sun spots, on my neck.
You think I'm exhausted; I'm worn out
You've no idea what those marks are about.

I've been a hiker
Climbing foreign mountain peaks
A swimmer exploring a clear blue wild sea
I've been a lover to a foreign man
I once even had the ring.

I've been a wanderer
Finding home wherever I'd go
Finding a thousands eternities
Wrapped up in flowers; wrapped up in families
I would become a part of.

You look at me
You see nothing
But inside
I am everything.

ARI