Behind Her Eye

by Lauren Rich

Her parents wanted a picture of her for her eighth birthday.
I asked her to show me happy, excited, surprised.
She posed for each emotion,
smiling big,
her mouth in a perfect O shape.

I asked her to show me sad.

Anyone could feel the pain showing through her eyes.
She slouched back in her chair,
slowly drifting somewhere else.

I asked her what she was thinking about.
Mommy and Daddy fighting at night,
when they thought she was asleep.
Not loud enough for her to hear every word,
but she didn't need to.

She already knew.

Little did they know
that they were the reason
for the pain behind her glimmering eyes.