This is what I see

I see a new born baby,
Just entered the world,
A future doctor maybe
Or perhaps a pilot,
Or a movie star,
But that's in the future,
Oh so far.

I see a one year old,
In fact I hear her,
Saying her first words,
Now how will we stop her?
She'll be a chatterbox
Will this one,
Loud as an ox.

I see a five year old,
Starting school,
Standing nervously yet bold,
Making her first friend
In this strange new place,
Still a long journey ahead.

I see a seven year old,
Pig-tails and overalls,
Trying on her mother's heels,
And falling over all,
Then getting up to try again.

I see a ten year old,
Laughing and playing
With her friends,
Talking and saying
Things she'll later think
Are just so lame.

I see a twelve year old,
Starting high school,
Meeting new people,
Feeling so grown up and cool,
But still so much
She has to learn.

I see a sixteen year old,
Behind that smile,
Is pain beyond
Their knowledge,
They cannot see she is dieing,
They cannot see what I see,

I see a young girl,
Almost eighteen,
She sits alone in her room,
Tears stream down
Her reddened cheeks,
And her eyes slowly close.

I watch her cry,
I feel her pain,
I know she's going to
Do it again,
She does it often,
When she can't fight the pain.

Now I watch her,
Holding a cloth
The self-inflicted wounds,
The blade lies on the floor,
She wipes away a tear,
And looks to the closed door.

If only they knew,
If only they saw,
If only they heard,
What her teddy bear endured.