Before and After

Her days were filled
with bike rides
chasing butterflies
spinning through meadows colored
in pastel violets and daisies.

She danced in her pink pajamas
dreamed of handsome princes
and being an astronaut
orbiting Jupiter.

She wrote stories about angels
drew pictures of horses
wore dresses with white lace
and purple flowers in her hair.

She prayed every night
for God to keep her safe
and watch over her mom.

Once when she was ten,
a boy in her class
told her she was pretty.
She pretended not to like him
but secretly she did
and it made her smile inside.

And when she was twelve,
her mom's boyfriend raped her
over and over.

She doesn't remember much
after that.