Cruel taunting,
Unwanted attention
And people staring.
The pain is strong,
Yet she holds it inside
Not letting them know
How it hurts to be laughed at.
For awhile things seem to get better,
Then out of the blue
It all starts again.
Why does this have to happen?
Will there ever be a day
When all kids are accepted
For who they are
And not for what they wear
Or who they hang with during recess?
Her intelligence is so great
She is in a completely different world
Than the other children around her.
Yet this very intelligence,
Which should be praised and applauded,
Is what sets her apart from her peers.
For she is an adult,
With the body of a child,
Having adult dreams,
Adult thoughts,
In a world of children.

By Odis E. Shultz
December 10, 1999
My Daughter