She touches the cool surface, the reflection of her hand a shadow of herself

A suburb in Utah drifts light through the small window

Have you seen the news today?

 

Her wrists are littered with activist bracelets

A leather jacket pulled over her frame

Gingerly she hangs up her old pink coat

 

A text from her boyfriend, she puts it down

And focuses on her bold eyeliner

Her cup of coffee grows cold, it always does

 

She thinks about the youth activity

Her father seems proud

It took her awhile to accept her faith crisis

 

A pill bottle sits on her desk

A reminder that she didn't used to take those

Her sister toddles in proudly wearing the stitches

 

She smiles at her gay pride flag

And speaks strongly to her wall

Her parents fight through the thin barrier

 

Her hands run over a stuffed animal she got as a gift

She remembers her cat

And then her friend that killed himself

 

Finally, she trusts herself

She goes on a school trip

Her friends will never know how she felt

 

Have you seen the news today?

She holds her college acceptance letter

Touching the cold surface, it shows a new person, her old self a shadow.