She caught them staring once again
at her skirt and plain brown shoes
and that bushy hair a mess so black
and obvious braces too

who wouldn't stare she thought herself
i'm as ugly as can be
amazing as it is though
why bother staring at me?

they smirk and laugh as she passes
by their lockers every day
they tease and taunt 'til the pain
makes her want to run away

color rises in her cheeks
at least they're rosy now, she thinks
eyes on the floor and books in hand
tears pushed back as she blinks

slowly she makes her way to class
and takes her seat at the back
away from all the stuck-up teens
will they ever cut her some slack?

she spends lunch in the ladies room
and eats in lonely hell
there's laughter, love and life outside
only silenced by the bell

there's no hope for her, she knows
she'll never have that hair
that yellow, red, or pretty brown
so sleek and brushed with care

and the color of her tiny eyes
is nothing like the sky
or pretty trees and fire-smoke
but simple brown and shy

so finally when the last bell rings
she walks out the gate with a sigh
all the sneers and snorts and lonely times
mean just another day gone by

but away from her tragic high school mess
she sits and reviews the day
and when the tears begin to come
she kneels down to pray

i feel so truly blessed, she says
so thank you, God, for it all,
the house i'm in and the trees outside
for sunshine, rain, and fall

and thank you, God, she says again
for the blessings in disguise
the patience gained and lessons learned
from the little things in life

like whether someone likes my hair
or the way i like to dress
and the way they choose to deal with it
is their own personal mess

then with a look in the mirror she says to herself
while her eyes no longer sting
no matter what they see and what they say
I wouldn't change a thing