Her journey

ℍᴇʀ  ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ
        ʙʏ ᴊᴇsɪᴄᴄᴀ ᴍᴀʀsᴅᴇɴ
ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴘᴛʜs ᴏғ sᴏʀʀᴏᴡ, ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴜɴғᴏʟᴅs,
ᴏғ ᴀ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʀsᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴘᴀᴛʜ ᴜɴᴛᴏʟᴅ,
ʙᴏʀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏғ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀɪɴ,
ʜᴇʀ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ sʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ, ʜᴇʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ sᴛʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ.

ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍs ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ,
sʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ʜᴏᴍᴇs, ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅʟᴇss ᴄʜᴀsᴇ,
ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴏᴄᴋ sᴛʀᴜᴄᴋ ғɪᴠᴇ,
ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴍᴀʀʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴜɴsᴘᴇᴀᴋᴀʙʟᴇ ʟɪᴇs.

ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴛᴏʀɴ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ ʙʏ ᴅᴇᴄᴇɪᴛ,
ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛʀᴏᴏᴍ, ʜᴇʀ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ,
ʜᴇʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ, ʟᴀʙᴇʟᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟɪᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ,
ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ’s ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇss ʟᴇғᴛ ʜᴇʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ at ʟᴏss.

ᴀᴛ ɴɪɴᴇ, sʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇᴅ a ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ sᴏ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴋɪɴᴅ,
A ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ’s ᴀʙᴜsᴇ, ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴇғᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏɴғɪɴᴇᴅ,
ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ sᴏᴜʟ ʏᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴡᴀʀᴍᴛʜ, ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀʀᴇ,
ʙᴜᴛ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ only shadows and despair to bear.

Within the systems grasp, her journey continued,
ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ʜᴏᴍᴇs and foster homes, her spirit subdued,
In each new place, her hope flickered and waned,
ᴀs ᴀʙᴜsᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏʀᴍᴇɴᴛ ʟᴇғᴛ ʜᴇʀ sᴏᴜʟ ᴅᴇᴇᴘʟʏ ᴘᴀɪɴᴇᴅ.

ɪɴ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄᴏʀɴᴇʀs, sʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇᴅ a ᴍᴏɴsᴛʀᴏᴜs ᴘʟɪɢʜᴛ,
ʜᴇʀ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴠɪᴏʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ, ʜᴇʀ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ғʟɪɢʜᴛ,
ʀᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʙᴜsᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ  sʜᴇʟᴛᴇʀs ᴡᴀʟʟs,
ʜᴇʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ sʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ, ʜᴇʀ ʀᴇsɪʟɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ғᴀʟʟs.

ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴs, sʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ ᴘᴛsᴅ,
ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ’s ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ғᴏɢ ᴠᴇɪʟᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ’s ᴛᴀᴘᴇsᴛʀʏ,
ʏᴇᴛ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, ᴀ ғʟɪᴄᴋᴇʀ ᴏғ sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴᴇᴅ,
ᴀ ғʟᴀᴍᴇ of resilience that could not be restrained.

ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇsᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛs, she held onto a dream,
ᴛᴏ ʀɪsᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ, ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ʜᴇʀ sᴇʟғ,
sʜᴇ sᴏᴜɢʜᴛ sᴏʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ, ɪɴ ᴋɪɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs sʜᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ,
ᴀ ɢʟɪᴍᴍᴇʀ of ʜᴏᴘᴇ, ᴀ ʟɪғᴇʟɪɴᴇ to sᴏʟɪᴅ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.

ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴘᴀssɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ, sʜᴇ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟ,
ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇs, ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ, ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ,
ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ sᴄᴀʀs ᴀᴅᴏʀɴᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ, sʜᴇ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇᴅ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ,
ᴀ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀ, ᴀ ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀ, ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇғᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ.

ʜᴇʀ sᴛᴏʀʏ, ᴀ ᴛᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜʟ,
ɪɴsᴘɪʀɪɴɢ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ᴛᴏ ʀɪsᴇ, ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴄʟᴀɪᴍ, ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ,
ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡʜᴏ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ system's ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ ʀᴇɪɢɴ,
ᴍᴀʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇ ʜᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀsʜ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴀɪɴ.