God, how I despised hearing that!
You'd be a pretty girl if...
if...if...if...
What made people think
they could say such things
to a little girl?
I never felt good enough,
smart enough, pretty enough.
No wonder I wanted
to be someone else,
hide in my own little world,
never share who I was.
Today I see teenage girls
trying to fit in
by being who they aren't;
Make-up and belly rings,
oozing sexuality
when they don't
even know what it is.
You can have me
they shout to every boy.
Then I'll be special,
know I'm loved,
know I'm pretty,
know I''m worthy
and wanted
They starve to be thin,
or keep their heads
in a toilet
when nobody is looking.
They stare in the mirror
with gaunt, unhappy faces
and wonder why
they still feel alone.
How I wish
I could wrap my arms around them,
tell them they're special and beautiful
just as they are,
that they don't need a boy
to be valuable;
How I wish I could make them see
the beauty that lies within
just waiting to be set free,
like a butterfly.
