Little girls,

They want to be

A perfect ballerina

They twirl

And leap

And bend

And kick

And curtsy at the end

But when they go

To put on that tutu

They look down at their tummies

Ballerinas don’t have tummies

That stick outside their hips

Then little girls

They eat no more

To try to loose a pound

First mother asks

Then mother cries

When she finds out why

Mother sits her little girl down

And asks her what is wrong

She says she’s ugly, fat, and dumb

Mother asks herself where she went wrong

She tries to tell that little girl

That what she thinks is wrong

She tells her child that she is

Beautiful, smart and loved

Little girl walks to her room

And a single tear rolls down

Even though her mother tried

The damage has already been done

Now she cuts

Instead of cries

At the harsh words said by peers

She feels worthless

And unloved

She’s a shell of her former self

She looks in the mirror

Then down at her wrists

She hates what she has done

But that was the night

She cried and cried

But did not say good-bye

She skipped school that next day

To tell her mom

Of the scars that she had made

And only now

Did she have the courage

To reach a hand out for help

Now that little girl is getting older

In fact she turned 16

Now she smiles

And isn't afraid

And she saves the lives of others