Shadows of Innocence Lost

Beneath the laughter, hidden deep,
A shadow lingers in my sleep,
A secret memory, dark and cold,
A tale of innocence once told.

In childhood's garden, pure and bright,
Where butterflies took their flight,
A serpent slithered, silent sin,
And robbed the world that should have been.
How tender hands, once held with trust,
Now shake with anger's burning lust,
To scream the pain, to shout the past,
To free the girl who couldn't last.

But shame, it clings, a veil so tight,
Around the child who lost her light,
And though the years have passed like rain,
The scars still whisper their refrain.

Now at the threshold of my youth,
I long for love, I long for truth,
To somehow mend the brokenness,
And leave behind this dark abyss.

A healing journey's path I'll find,
To face the fear that plagues my mind,
And one day, I will stand, serene,
A teenage girl, no longer pinned.

For now, I cry, I mourn the loss,
Of childhood's sweet and tender gloss,
And in my tears, I'll shed the shame,
That seeks to burn my gentle flame.