On the other side of the mirror

Too old to be the girl she'd been,
Too young to know her place.
The world was asking who she'd be,
She had no name, no face.

The corridors were far too loud,
The days could change too fast.
She feared the things she couldn't plan,
And wished the noise would pass.

She knew when something wasn't right,
Could feel a change of air.
She read the faces in the room,
The things that lingered there.

And when the world was less than fair,
She felt it like a bruise.
She couldn't bear to watch someone
Be hurt for being true.

She learned to laugh when others laughed,
To speak when they would speak.
A different face for every room,
A different girl each week.

She wanted friends, a place to sit,
Somewhere to feel she belonged.
But every time she changed herself,
Something inside felt wrong.

She carried struggles no one saw,
And questions she kept still.
The world kept asking her to change,
She wondered if she ever will.

At home, she didn't need to smile,
Or find the words to say.
Beside the one who knew her best,
The masks could fall away.

But even there, she couldn't name
The things she couldn't bear.
She only knew she didn't fit,
And wondered why or where.

And every morning came too soon,
With faces left to choose.
She'd wear another for the day,
And hide the one she'd lose.

Between the girl she'd always been
And all she ought to be,
She whispered, I don't fit this world.
And wondered, Is it me?