The Blues of My Girlhood

By Sharlyn Grace Palotes

My girlhood was a time of blues, Of tangled hair and muddy shoes, Of scraped-up knees and tear-stained cheeks, Of loneliness and shattered dreams. I thought it was a time of love, But looking back, it wasn't enough, For the love I craved was out of reach, Leaving me with a void that couldn't be breached. My girlhood was a time of pain, Of heartache that left a permanent stain, Of feeling lost and so alone, With no place to call my own. But in the midst of all that sorrow, I found a strength that could not be borrowed, A resilience that was born from pain, A spirit that refused to be restrained. And now, I look back on those days, And see that beauty was not the way, For in those blues of girlhood strife, I found the strength to live my life. So let the blues of girlhood sing, Let them echo, let them ring, For in pain and in tears, We find the strength to face our fears.