And She Shines

A poem commending a girl I used to know who was abused.

She walks past my locker
with a smile on her face.
She's not a talker,
so she hides every trace.

She wears a long sleeved shirt
and baggy jeans.
She thinks I can't see the hurt
or understand what it means.

She's not afraid to tell,
but afraid of the rumors.
Her eyes are like wells;
dark and deep with no humor.

She holds her head up high
with no sign of pain.
She smiles as she walks by,
as if sorrow is her bane.

She'll never know
how many tears I have cried.
She'll never know
how many times I've tried.

In the end it would seem
she's timid and meek,
but she's stronger than me
even though she is weak.

Because in the end,
after all these rhymes,
she'll lift up her head...
and she shines.