Five years of age:
Pigtails and dresses,
Happy as can be,
Mom cleans up her messes.
In school, she plays
With her best friends
Hide and seek until
The bell, recess's end.
Ten years later,
Waking from the dream,
Her life has turned around
As she's become a teen.
Her father has died.
Her mother is depressed
School causes anxiety.
Her home life is stress.
Friends have come
And friends have gone.
At least she and her sister
Still get along.
Two years later
She's a junior in school.
Her sister's a sophomore
Who's not considered "cool".
Her sister's getting bullied.
Her sister's losing hope.
How can she help her?
She's struggling to cope.
One year later,
Her sister's suicide.
Her mother is hopeless,
No one left by her side.
Six months later,
She meets a special man.
He's sweet and he's charming,
He takes her by the hand.
Together they turned it around.
She feels happy, she feels safe.
Her happiness is true.
You can see it on her face.
Five years of age:
Pigtails and dresses,
Happy as can be,
Mom cleans up her messes.
Thirteen years later:
Tassel, cap, and gown
Her man, her mother,
And her angels smiling down.
Over the Years
Caitlin Murphy, 2018
24
Caitlin's poem was published in the Spring 2015 edition of "The Marble Collection"