They told her she shouldn’t be she,
But, she, with determination, fought.
Just maybe they didn’t truly see.
Their judgment filled her with fraught.
So she held her head high and followed her dreams,
While they clicked their tongues her way.
Nothing is quite like it seems,
When you judge another the wrong way.
They held their head high and snubbed her name
And kicked her around in the dirt.
Haughtily their words beat her to shame,
As they dished their opinions to hurt.
Feeling alone, she tried to rise higher,
To ignore their smile of hate.
Yet they threw her name in the briar,
Sending her into a dreadful state.
They made her their victim by default.
And then, one day, she refused to carry their label.
She refused to be their fault.
As she worked on making her life stable,
She pushed them away and built her shield.
Their opinions she no longer believed.
As she recognized her value, she healed.
No longer their labels she received.
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Victim by Default
by Stephanie Daich
