I was born on March 29th

My head full of hair and my eyes open wide

You saw me first, you proudly say

So why, oh why do you treat me this way?

I learn to write and paint with pride

My teacher says that I have learned to thrive

You say it’s a waste to send me to school

Mama says no and pays all the dues

You love my writings, you love my laugh

You and I click in a way that others couldn’t have

I miss you, Papa and I miss our talks

The ones where you made me feel I could be okay

But then I turned 12, and everything changed

I was a woman, and beauty remained

You couldn’t appreciate it just from afar

You took my innocence and left me to rot

I see other girls go to dances with their dads

And wonder, what I did to deserve that?

You killed, you loved, you laughed, and you lost

You served your country, and it came with a cost

I told my side and testified

I sat there and watched you with tears in my eyes

You sat there and made your highest offer

You’ll pay for my college, and stop talking to your daughter

But please tell me, at what point, does a man become a monster?