Penny for a Poem

Freedom with Consequence

There once was a girl, bright as the dawn, with dreams that sparkled, like dew on the lawn.
Yet shadows danced lightly, behind her sweet smile, whispers of horror, that haunted each mile.
Each night she would tremble, beneath the dark skies, memories like shackles, her heart would disguise.
In the depths of her mind, the battles would rage, a canvas of sorrow, life's intricate stage. She battled with silence, a war without sound, each tear was a soldier, each frown tightly bound.
But strength, oh how fickle, it waned like the light, for fighting the past, it consumed her with fright.
With a heart worn and weary, she plotted escape, to break free from chains that had tightened with fate.
The ghosts of her childhood, once heavy and vast, now urged her to leave them, to cut them, to cast.
One fateful morning, as the sun kissed the trees, she decided to rise, to follow the breeze. She stepped from the shadows, into the unknown, unaware of the pain that from others had grown.
For those left behind, with love intertwined, felt the loss of her laughter, a bond once defined.
They watched her disperse like fog in the day, a part of their hearts slipped silently away.