Because daddy wasn't there, I had to protect myself from the venom spitting girls

On the playground that told me I wasn’t good enough.

Because my hair had a frizz, a curl, and some naps.

Because my butt was round, skin brown, and mind smart.

Because Daddy wasn’t there, I craved attention from the time I was eight. Little boys that liked my shape

Would try and spit their game.

And I believed it all – because in my mind, they really did want only me

They really did like me because I was ME,

They really were prince charming.

Over the years, it only got worse, because daddy wasn’t there.

And when daddy wasn’t there, momma didn’t care.

She didn’t care that her little girl struggled.

Struggled with who she was,

What she was supposed to say to those antagonizing girls,

And those awful, lying boys.

She didn’t care that it was her  fault that I cried myself to sleep.

She  was the cause of many sleepless nights,

She  was the cause of my anger, frustration and sadness.

They  were the cause of my pain.