An Incomplete Past
By Ashley O’Hare
The photographs,
the videos,
the social status updates—
they all confirm I had a past.
I have seen the smiling girl in the yearbook,
but my memory of her existence is blurry.
Her bright innocence faded long before its time.
She fought to make sense of the world around her.
When she sat awake late into the night,
she saw just how dark her home can be—
how lonely one can feel in a bustling community.
The photographs
paint a lovely look at life,
but they cannot capture the truth
hiding behind the eyes.