What Happened
What happened to the happy little girl in the photographs,
not afraid to be the focal point in front of a camera,
not afraid to be herself?
What happened in those twelve years to make her so fragile,
so scared, so uncomfortable in her own body,
worried about every inch of excess fat?
What happened to make her afraid to eat in front of people,
and say, “No, thank you†when she was so hungry,
and so scared of what people thought of her?
What happened to make her so sad and feel so broken inside,
to believe it was okay to hurt and mutilate her own body
just to feel something?
What happened to make her so afraid to leave her home and
what made her cry so hard that she could not stop all night,
and what made her feel so alone and unloved?
What happened to the happy little girl in the photographs with
a contagious smile and naive eyes, laughing and joking and alive?
My darling, what happened?
