She is up in her room,
with the door shut closed
and the music up high,
so that no one can hear the
abandonment in her voice or
see the tears swell up
in her sad drooping eyes.

She is a good daughter
with good intentions.
But she can't seem to pass the test
because her flaws and her failures
block their minds,
so that they think of her more as a burden
and think of her less as a blessing.

She wants to tell them how she feels,
but they don't understand
the obstacles in her way
and the scars on her arm.
So she keeps it inside
buried deep down,
practicing the feeling she wants to say.