We all have an escape. We all have that place we escape to, when the world gets too dark, too harsh, too cruel for us to bear. We all have that place where we can hide in, and bury ourselves in, after a long day. We have that place we can run to in the dead of night; the only place where we can let go, be free, and unleash all our worries. We all have that place we can truly call home. For her, it was a tree.

She was beautiful. She was happy. She was a bright prism of colors. She was a sizzling firework of surprises. She lit up everything she walked past, with her bright, dimpled smile. They thought she was perfect. Until her world came crashing down. Suddenly everything she'd ever known, Seemed treacherous, unknown and terrifying. And she found herself trapped in the suffocating darkness, Her days filled with tears, screams, and lost hope. And she lost herself. The Girl. #164 in poetry, June 19, 2016. #79 in poetry, August 18, 2016