Love Yourself

Love is many things, but it does not hurt

I lost a friend and before that, she lost her mother

To something that is still too commonplace to ignore

Domestic violence is all around us, lurking just outside my door

I wish I could have been there for her, but she never gave me a clue

As sure as I am alive today, if she had, she would be here too

We grew up together, I met her in the 7th grade

She came up to me, and asked if I had ever prayed

It seemed strange, but I told her, yes, I was taught to pray

Her request gave me pause, 'Pray for my mommy every day.'

She was so tiny and sad, my heart went out to her

I wanted to ask what was wrong with her mother

But it didn't really matter because, God already knew

I told her I would do it and that she should do it, too

We became friends on that day and our friendship grew

One day, we were walking home from school, when I got a clue

She said she wished she could live with me, so she wouldn't be afraid

She raised her sleeve, there on her arm, were scars started to fade

On her legs, were more of the same, long blistered scars, my eyes watered

I didn't know what to say, I tried to speak, but I only stuttered

She was such a little person, shy and quiet, what monster had hurt her?

She put her head down and continued to walk

I walked next to her, not bothering to talk

Words were useless, what she needed was action, right now

Who, who did that to you, I demanded, I had to help her somehow

She wouldn't say, she just told me to keep my promise to pray

Some days later, while we were in class, she was called to the office

She never returned to class that day, I didn't know what to make of this

For a whole two weeks, she didn't come to school and I was worried sick

Finally, she comes back and I ran over to her to hug her real quick

She laughed a little, but in her eyes, I saw what she was trying to hide

A sadness so deep, that without words, she didn't have to confide

That something very bad had happened to cause her to be gone so long

I pulled her to the side away from everyone else so we could talk alone

I held her shaking hand and she told me things no child should ever hear

She said the day she left school, her mother had been beaten to death

Her mother called the police with her last dying breath

But it was too late, when the paramedics arrived, her mother was gone

Her suffering was over, she said, and now she was left all alone

As the school year progressed and came to an end, we remained friends

But by high school, it was like seeing her through a colored lens

Everything was very different, from the people she hung around

To the way she carried herself, despite being tiny, she weighed down

We still talked and sometimes, hung out, but the vibe we had was no more

I would ask if she was alright, she would always say, yeah, just like before

It was the end of our junior year, and we were excited about our last year

We planned our last day of school, down to what we'd wear, to be clear

Two days, before the last day, we get an announcement over the intercom

Everybody was silent, as we heard the principal drop a nuclear bomb

I heard the words, but I couldn't make them register in my mind

"We are very sad to tell you, that Tracey ... has passed away, at this time"

I was numbed, people were crying, jumping around, praying, I didn't move

I didn't want to believe what I just heard was really true

The bell rings and we are dismissed for the rest of the day

I had to know, I needed to know, what happened to my friend, Tracey

I rushed to my counselor's office, "Tell me, what happened to her, please"

She said, "It was domestic violence and she killed by her 19-year-old boyfriend

He is in police custody, already. I'm so sorry you lost your best friend"

I sat down in the chair next to me and the flood gates were released

I cried for my best friend and her mother and lastly, for me

Its a sad story, but there are so many more out there not being told

Domestic violence has no age limit, it takes lives of the young and old

Life is too short, to live in fear of violence from anyone else

Be strong, remove yourself and talk to someone, love yourself