I am the fourteen year old girl held on the bed
I am the girl screaming in my sleep
I am the girl, crying, alone
I am the girl who watched others get hurt.

I am the girl who sent a ****** to prison.

I am my anxiety,
Welling like an oncoming flood in my stomach and
Hammering in my throat
I am my depression,
Back and forth, up and down, like a heart rate monitor
I am my trauma
Held deep in my body,
My muscles corded around the pain I can’t get rid of.

I am the girl who defied it all
I am the girl who made a difference
I am the girl who stood up!

And I am here,
I am the girl who is stronger than I ever imagined.