Everyone's Story

There was a little girl, with a braid, and a smile
she had a little place in everyone's heart
she had a skip in her step
she had mashed potato marks on her dress
she had sunshine in her smile
and she put the sunshine into people's smile
There was this little girl and she sometimes went quiet
almost as if remembering the time when she was old
and in her eyes you'd see, the wisdom and fatigue
from all the years she'd spent getting from here to there
this little girl sang as she played in the sand
as she built castles and watched them get washed down by waves
she never cried and she never frowned
her soul just accepted the loss of her hours worth of work
Her parents they worried, she was almost unreal
she was too dreamy for this life, and too soft for this world
they didn't see the strength in how simply she glided
through hardship and disappointment
through long days and dark nights
And after they left her, and she lived as she had to
after the little girl became a person with a story to tell
after the little girl inevitably became the woman
she came back to her haven of sand castles and waves
she had with her nothing, but a sunny little girl
a little girl with a braid, a skip and a smile
and a happy stained dress
They sat together in the wind, and played in the sun
one remembering a time when she was young and peaceful
and one conjuring up a time when her soul was old
Who is the stronger? Who is the older? Who is the wiser?
In mind and in heart
One mother, one daughter
One woman, one girl
a life time ahead, or a life time behind?
Like mother like daughter, they flung their braids behind their backs
found pleasure in having each other
and started building from scratch.