she didn’t want to stand out, but, she did –
some things cannot be hidden in plain sight.
sometimes, there is no justice – like for her –
a girl not ever looking for a fight

but people make you fight. sometimes, they do.
i wish that i could tell a brighter tale;
but i was there, i saw what happened, and
i will not lie, or tell half-truths wholesale

what did she do? what does she do instead;
for years have gone, the memory’s not dead –
though far removed from when she was in school,
and targeted for scorn and ridicule

she sees me now, and says to me, “truth told,
i never thought we’d live to be this old.
and you have been my friend for all these years,
including ones that weren’t much more than tears.”

she was so beautiful, and still is now,
her children just as beautiful as she –
i do not know if they have known the touch
of cruelty or explicit bigotry

sometimes we are the ones who feel the pain,
sometimes we are the ones who cause it’s sting,
sometimes we see it ill effects and wish
that humans didn’t muck up
everything