Once there was a little girl around five
who put ribbons in her hair
and wore dresses.
She hugged her parents everyday
and they always kissed goodbye.
At school there was a boy and the boy would hold her hand.
She was a good student.
She loved sports and singing.
She wanted to be a princess when she grew up.

A little bit older girl around eight
who put clips in her hair
and wore skirts.
Her parents weren't home everyday to hug her
and her parents worked too much and didn't kiss goodbye.
The boy at school put worms in her hair.
She couldn't spell "difference"
She loved sports and singing.
She wanted to be a doctor when she grew up.

An older girl around ten
who wore her hair in a ponytail
and had glasses.
She hasn't hugged her parents in a month
and her parents haven't kissed in awhile.
She wrote the boy at school a note and he laughed.
She couldn't multiply.
She played sports but was made fun of for singing.
She wanted to be an actress when she grew up.

A teenage girl around thirteen
Who straightened her hair
and wore skinny jeans and makeup.
Who had cuts on her wrists.
She hasn't talked to her parents in 2 months
and her parents fought everyday.
The boy at school called her a s***.
She didn't understand linear equations.
She played sports because she was good but she didn't want to like singing.
She wanted to be happy when she grew up.

A teenage girl around fifteen
who died her hair black
and wore skinny jeans, band tees and black eyeliner.
Who starves and cuts.
She is invisible to her family.
Her parents don't look at each other anymore.
The boy at school called her "emo."
She couldn't understand Shakespeare.
She played sports so she never had to go home.
She hasn’t sung in two years.
She didn't want to be anything when she grew up because she didn't want to grow up.
She wanted to die.

She looked at a framed picture of the little girl
that wore ribbons and dresses.
Who hugged her parents
and whose parents kissed.
Who had a boy that would hold her hand                                                                                                                                                                           and and was a good student.
Who loved sports and singing
and wanted to be something when she grew up because she thought she would make it past fifteen.

She threw the picture at the wall and it shattered.
She picked up a broken piece of glass and slit each wrist.
She felt the pain fade and her life fade too.

A teenage girl.
With her hair curled
in her funeral dress.
Her parents kissed her goodbye
and they finally split up.
The boy at school now self-harms because he liked her all along.
Her teachers quit because they thought they were too hard on her.
Her coach became depressed because they think they pushed her too much.
She thought she wanted death but what she really wanted was to be that little girl again.