Little Girl Lost in the Woods

I stare into the bathroom mirror

Looking for the girl that was once there

Tear-stained cheeks; Make-up streaks

Never good enough

Again, my worth measured by what I think others see

And I am left to wonder where could she be

Wake up; Pack up

We are moving again

I was beginning to settle in

At school, I even made a friend

This place was just starting to feel like mine

My room; My very own design

Why must I do it all over again?

That’s an explanation and not a good reason

No time to learn about who I am before we are out the door, once more

Do I belong on a farm? A city apartment? Or a small neighborhood town?

Maybe a rental property in a place that is warm?

Where are you from? I can’t quite say

So many address changes along the way

I learned to be what is expected of me and how easily I adapt to your plea

Always a passenger never the driver

Life becomes a movie picture as I watch from the car window

What do I want deep down inside?

I mourn this unasked question no longer enjoying the ride

And the home I wish I could’ve known

As I look around now all grown I try to bring myself back to me

I try to imagine an identity

A young child pretending to be lost in the woods far from home

Sticks and rocks, trees and leaves became her makeshift abode

Running barefoot and free to the chickadee's song

Perhaps I had it backward all along

Gone astray by the whims of man, attempting to please everyone

I needed to get back to my nature roots

Some restless nights when I’m wide awake

The weight of the world granting no escape

I wander to my backyard porch where the crickets chirp

Soft moonlight bathes me in its healing glow

Cool breeze caresses my cares away and dreaming once again comes easily

I return to a familiar landscape

One where I trusted my instincts

Breathing in the crisp night sky; I hear her cry

She’s there; The little girl never left the woods

Hiding in her humble home made of twigs